Halloween spooktacular

IF you are out and about this Halloween and get the spooky feeling you are being followed...then you could well be right.

For, in the run-up to the City of Culture those inventive ladies at Tours n Trails have upped the ‘freaky factor’ in their Deadly Derry tour with a range of frighteningly realistic twists and street theatre that will have revellers howling with delight and screaming with fright.

Last year the ladies, Finola Faller and Eilish Quigley, were a sellout success, with so many oversubscriptions they had to stage two extra tours to meet demand. They wre the first organisation to stage animated walking tours in the city almost 10 years ago, and year-on-year their tours have steadily grown in popularity with families and groups.

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“We were the very first to do animated tours and for a number of years Eilish and I conducted tours in period costume, and we loved it and the feedback we got was great,” said Finola, adding that every tour they did waas a unique experience as those taking part are encouraged to interact whether it is to ask questions or to add local knowledge and colour to the tour.

“When we dress it does stop people in their tracks and we have taken that a stage further with out Halloween programmes. We are expecting the same kind of interest, if not more this year. We are staging tours this year over four days, and we also have some private bookings as well,” said Eilish.

“We have acting students working with us this year and we are really looking forward to seeing what they get up to,” said Finola, adding: “They are really excited because this is on-street theatre and we have told them they have to source a costume or make thier own costume. This is all part of their coursework, as is their make-up and everything else. We are not revealing stoo much about what we are going to do, but these drama students will be interacting with everyone, but you may not realise it to begin with.”

“We will also have some pre-Halloween fun going on in Ferryquay Street, but we are not going to say too much about that, other than it will be worth looking out for. No-one else has done it as far as we are aware, we are extending the tour to take in more nooks and crannies and there will be some surprises on the way,” said Eilish.