PEOPLE CELEBRATING Halloween this weekend have been advised to play safe, take care of animals and the environment and not to forget to turn back the clock.
A busy weekend of activities is planned across the country with fireworks displays, ghost tours, hootenannies and a re-enactment of Michael Jackson's zombie-driven Thrillervideo among the events taking place.
However, the authorities have warned against revellers taking the festivities too far, saying people found using illegal fireworks or lighting bonfires are liable to face penalties.
Dublin City Council, which last year spent €1 million on its post-Halloween clean-up, said no bonfire is legal, and it does not sanction or license bonfires held by communities or any other organisations. People engaging in such activity can be fined up to €3,000 under environmental legislation.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern warned of the dangers involved in the use of fireworks and said those found in possession face heavy penalties.
The ISPCA has urged the public to take extra precautions to keep pets safe over the Halloween period.
It said veterinary practices were inundated with animals injured by fireworks and bonfires at this time of year and that stray animals often bear the brunt of Halloween pranks.
Met Éireann said the weather today should be mostly dry with sunny spells and that tomorrow would start out wet but the rain should clear in time for the Halloween festivities.
Meanwhile, winter time begins at 1am tomorrow, which is when clocks and watches should be put back one hour, meaning everyone can get an extra hour in bed.
In Dublin, Kila will headline the Otherworld Festival which takes place in Ballymun between 6pm and 9pm tomorrow. Those in attendance can also expect a fancy-dress parade of ghouls and goblins, which will move from Balbutcher Lane at 5.45pm to the Civic Plaza, as well as a fireworks display.
A Halloween Hootenanny takes place at Dublin’s Workman’s Club tomorrow, with live music from The Cast of Cheers and Daithí Ó Drónaí. Tickets are €10.
A re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s Thriller takes place at Spanish Arch in Galway at 4pm today followed by a series of street performances culminating at St Nicholas’s Church at 8.40pm.
In Cork, a Zombie Parade will gather at the top of St Patrick’s Hill at 4pm today before snaking its way downhill to Oliver Plunkett Street and on to the Grand Parade. Further information is available at theresistanz.com.
The Spirit of Meath Festival, which has been running for the past week, will culminate tomorrow with a samba-band-led procession through Kells.
Belfast’s Halloween Metro Monster Mash, which takes place at the Odyssey from 2pm tomorrow, features theatre, live music and face painting, and will culminate at 6pm with what the organisers promise to be Northern Ireland’s largest fireworks display.
In Derry, the Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival continues, with ghost tours of haunted hotspots, pirate cruises on the river Foyle and fancy-dress balls around the city.
