Halloween hailed as 'a positive event'

The event continues to draw interest from across Ireland, UK, Europe and America with many friends and family returning home for the celebrations. The highlight of the council-organised events was the Carnival of Light parade and a fireworks display that captivated an audience of over 20,000 people.

The Mayor Councillor Colum Eastwood congratulated everyone involved in making the event a success.

He said: “It was a fantastic weekend of family activities with a great showcase of creativity and fun which culminated in the Carnival parade and an outstanding fireworks show. There were so many imaginative costumes from all age groups. It was a great result for everyone who attended and many thanks to the inter-agency event planning team, the community, voluntary and statutory organisations who worked together to make the event a success.”

Over 700 participants from over 25 community and voluntary groups, including In Your Space, the Inishowen Carnival Group and samba and youth bands from across Ireland, brought spectacular colour and atmosphere to the celebrations. Schools, community organisations, youth clubs and arts organisations have been working for weeks to create amazing lantern pieces that brought an amazing procession of light to the city.

The Mayor concluded: “Every year the city works with an inter-agency team and community groups to encourage a safe and sensible hallowe’en and while this year has shown improvements we’ll continue to work diligently with all agencies to continue with this encouraging trend.”

Figures from city centre triage show a total of 17 people needing medical assistance until the facility closed at 12 midnight which is significantly lower than 2009 figures. Early indications from the PSNI and Accident and Emergency support this trend of improvement from previous years.

A Derry City Council spokeswoman said: “Along with its partner agencies will continue to build upon the strengths of this year’s event and identify any points that can assist in improving the event for next year. Your feedback on the festival is important, so tell us what you think by visiting the official website www.derrycity.gov.uk/halloween”