COUNCILS ACROSS DUBLIN are preparing Halloween events in a new way this year as Covid-19 public health measures remain in place.
Dublin is currently in Level Three of the Living with Covid roadmap until 9 October when the situation will be reviewed by the government.
Outdoor gatherings of up to 15 people are permitted at the moment under current restrictions.
The Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said this evening that it is still too early to make recommendations about trick or treating for Halloween, but recommendations will be made closer to the time if needed.
As we await further advice on this, here is what the Dublin city and county councils have planned so far.
Dublin City Council
DCC will not be planning any large-scale events, in line with public health measures currently in place.
It is instead organising a programme with local communities and youth projects to “maximise what we can achieve together given the constraints we are all operating under”, a council spokesperson said.
This programme has not yet been finalised and more details are expected next month.
The Bram Stoker Festival, which takes place annually from the end of October, will be launched later this week. It will feature a host of spooky physical and virtual events.
In Cabra and Glasnevin, local residents are also planning some in-person events for children if restrictions allow.
South Dublin County Council
The council in south Dublin is planning a large amount of online activities for kids and adults alike.
An interactive online workshop held by several libraries online will teach children how to make healthy Halloween treats.
People in Lucan are asked to send their spookiest pictures with prizes for best family dress up, best haunted house and best carved pumpkin. Send to lucan@sdublincoco.ie from 12 October.
North Clondalkin library is holding a Halloween colouring competition. People can either collect a colouring page in the library or download it from the library’s Facebook page before returning by 31 October to be in with a chance to win prizes.
Ballyroan library will have Autumn crafts for adults and spooky crafts for kids through Zoom planned for late next month.
This library is also holding a pumpkin carving competition – send entries to librarylegocomp@gmail.com with a photo, name, age and details about the design. The competition is open to all children aged five and up and the closing date is 28 October.
There will also be a fancy dress competition with chalk games and prizes held outside Ballyroan library on Halloween at 3 pm.
For further details on booking online events in individual libraries visit:
Dublin Fingal
Dublin Fingal has a similar plan for online events held by libraries.
A session of Halloween crafts and a spooky storytime suitable for children aged between seven and 12 are in the works for next month.
The events will be uploaded to the Fingal libraries YouTube channel.
The annual Festival of Flame was postponed by the council due to uncertainty caused by Covid-19.
This normally takes place at 13 locations across the county. The council’s events team is planning to return the festival “with a bang” when restrictions are eased with a fireworks-themed event held at a later date.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, libraries will hold online Halloween storytime and craft events during the mid-term week. Details of these are being finalised at the moment.
The annual Samhain walk held by the council on 25 October has been cancelled due to the pandemic.
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