No Hallowe'en events in Ebrington 'a travesty' - Your Ebrington

Local campaign group 'Your Ebrington' said it was "dismayed" Derry City and Strabane District Council's Hallowe'en extravaganza did not include Ebrington Square.

A spokesperson for the group said: "Hallowe'en is coming but, strangely, Council's Hallowe'en extravaganza doesn't include Ebrington Square.

"Very few events during Halloween take place across the Peace Bridge and with a purpose built, accessible, open space, it's beyond questionable that the Square, and the site generally, isn't being heavily promoted or utilised by Council during the Halloween celebrations. Not one event is set to take place in the Square itself during the Halloween festival.

"The location of the funfair was another casualty of the Hotel's demands earlier in the year which saw events pulled completely for 2024 and the Hotel, and event promoters, being compensated handsomely from the public purse. The funfair has been relegated to the back of the Ebrington site so if you were hoping for great views over the Foyle when you're up in the air, you're out of luck."

"The funfair will now be situated in the car park which also means less parking which is essential for folks coming from the Waterside and further afield to the funfair or to any of the other Halloween events planned. Council expects more than 100,000 people to attend the festival so car parking is going to be difficult enough to manage without being a car park down and the Square lying empty to satisfy a small local hotel business," they said.

The spokesperson added it was hard to believe the exclusion of Ebrington Square in Council's programme was a mere oversight.

"There is a fee attached to hiring the Square from The Executive Office but it is unthinkable that a few hundred quid would prevent Council using the Square when it drops around £500,000 on the Halloween festival annually," said the spokesperson.

"Not having a Halloween Ball in the Square is an absolute travesty. A ticketed event, like Jika Jika's Fatboy Slim, would have been the icing on the cake for the festival and maybe could have generated a bit of revenue for Council. But again, the needs of a small hotel come before the tourist offering and indeed the ratepayers of the city who Council are supposed to serve.

"We acknowledge that the Hotel has apologised and has no objections to events in Ebrington Square, from a PR perspective anyway, but does that mean the Executive Office and Derry City and Strabane District Council feel the same way? With events for 2024 still not open for booking, it's hard to know.

"Obviously it's too late now for Halloween 2023, but we call on Derry City and Strabane District Council to ensure that, going forward, Ebrington Square, and the Ebrington site generally, is utilised fully during Council-led festivals. 

"Ebrington is an accessible, safe, shared space and if Derry City and Strabane District Council is serious about listening to its citizens and providing for all communities within the district, it will make maximum use from 2024 onwards."