Step into the Home of Halloween this fall and feel Ireland’s spirit come alive

This year brings seven new Halloween events across Ireland — including the Púca Festival in County Meath and Derry Halloween in Derry–Londonderry — inviting visitors to dive into eerie folklore and fiery rituals through immersive, locally inspired experiences. Each hub will feature its own schedule of events – from torchlit processions and mythological re-enactments to interactive ghost tours, harvest feasts and immersive performances. The new Halloween hubs for 2025 include locations in Fingal (north Dublin), Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Longford and Westmeath, as well as Meath and Louth, with festivities running throughout the month of October until 2^nd November.

Derry Halloween continues to go from strength to strength as Europe’s largest Halloween festival. Taking place from Tuesday 28th to Friday 31st October, this year’s festival offers four days of spine-tingling celebrations across over 50 venues in Northern Ireland’s historic second city. It is set to feature over 100 unmissable events as it builds towards its milestone 40th anniversary in 2026. The success of Derry Halloween reflects a global appetite for culturally rich, immersive travel experiences and Halloween on the island of Ireland offers just that – with ancient storytelling, breathtaking autumn scenery, as well as legendary Irish hospitality.

Samhain: Where Halloween Began

What we now call Halloween began as Samhain, a sacred Celtic festival marking the transition from light to dark. It was believed that on October 31st, the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest – a time when spirits crossed into our world and bonfires were lit to ward them off. These ancient beliefs still shape Ireland’s Halloween traditions today and, with the new Halloween hubs, visitors can explore the roots of the festival in the very landscapes where it all began.

For more information, visit Ireland is the Home of Halloween | Ireland.com

https://www.tourismireland.com/international/en-us/home

SOURCE Tourism Ireland