by Saoirse Anton

It’s my favourite month of the year! The trees are turning every fiery shade of beautiful oranges, reds and browns imaginable, I’m delving into the mildly spooky section of my library, I’ve cracked out the soups and porridge and pumpkin recipes, and all my best clothes have been resurrected from the back of my wardrobe (and it’s my birthday month, of course).

October is also the month of Halloween. So what’s gracing our stages this month for you to sink your teeth…or fangs…into?

Dublin City COuncil BRam Stoker Festival

How could I not kick off with the Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival? As their programme says, get ready for four days and nights of deadly adventures as Dublin gets gloriously gothic this October bank holiday. Celebrating the author of one of the most famous horror characters of all time, the Bram Stoker Festival presents a jam packed programme of events, from historical talks, to family workshops, to plays, to exhibitions. Some highlights I’m particularly keen to catch are Spooky Stories at Marsh’s Library, a talk from the the Three Castles Burning podcast exploring the stories of The Women of Bram Stoker’s Life, and a screening of Nosferatu at the Lighthouse Cinema with a live score by Rita and Robbie Perry

Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival runs from 25-28th October

Macnas

Another Halloween staple Macnas. Renowned for their large-scale spectacle theatre, Galway-based company Macnas are yet to announce their upcoming Halloween show, having tantalizingly teased us with a promise that it will be a “GIANT new show” taking place on the October Bank Holiday weekend.

Past shows have brought fantastical legends to life with huge ensembles, breathtaking sets, thrilling pyrotechnics and towering puppets. Whatever they have in the works for this Halloween, it is not to be missed.

Macnas’ Halloween production is planned to run on the 25th and 26th October

Guest Host Stranger Ghost

Okay, this one is a bit of a stretch. It is not a Halloween, or even Halloween-adjacent show, but it has the word ‘Ghost’ in the title and that is enough of a tenuous link to the theme for me to share how excited I am about this show. Written by Kate Heffernan and directed by Eoghan Carrick, this “vagabond play” is performed on the sets of different shows across the Dublin Theatre Festival programme. With no two shows taking place on the same set, and the performers and production having to morph the show to fit in its new home each time, each performance will be unique. Much like I came out of Carys D. Coburn’s 2016 Briseis After the Black, which brought a different actor in to the two-hander alongside Coburn every night, wishing I could watch every performance of it, I find myself wishing I had limitless time and money to follow Guest Host Stranger Ghost around Dublin for all of its squatted performances.

Guest Host Stanger Ghost runs in various venues from the 3rd-13th October as part of Dublin Theatre Festival

Spooky Babies

Don’t worry, I’m not talking about those horrifying creepy children that the horror genre is so fond of. Instead I’m taking about Spooky Babies, a family shadow puppet show from musician and actor Jackie Maguire on Halloween at the Hawkswell, Sligo. Sure to be a Halloween treat for both children and parents, Spooky Babies promises to bring bring enough spooky cheer to turn the shyest gremlin into a dancing ghoul.

Spooky Babies takes place at the Hawkswell, Sligo on the 31st October

Ballad of a Bandit

From shadowy tales, to shadowy figures. Another family offering, Branar Theatre’s Ballad of A Bandit tells the story of infamous Irish highwayman Captain George McNamara of Cong, who stole from the rich to give to the poor. Telling the story of McNamara’s daring adventures with music, puppetry, object animation, and a rogue cleaner, this show from Miquel Barceló and Matthew Berrill promises to be an exciting delight for children and adults alike.

Ballad of a Bandit is touring Ireland from the end of September onwards. Check out the tour schedule for details.

Derry Halloween Fest

No list of Halloween recommendations would be complete without a mention for Derry’s famous Halloween festival. The largest Halloween festival in Europe, this year it is centered around the theme “City of Bones.” The Walled City will come alive with the undead, the ghoulish and the eerie as buildings and landmarks throughout the city are transformed by inventive and impressive projections, performances and installations into spectacles to make the bravest among us shiver! From fire performances, to ghoulishly good gigs and fearful family fun, the Derry Halloween Festival is a weekend like no other. The birthday I spent exploring the spooky streets of Derry during the festival remains one of my most memorable!

Derry Halloween Festival runs from the 28th-31st October

Wherever you are in the country, and whether you are a hardened horror fan, or a fright lightweight like me, get ready for a month of fun and frightful theatrical offerings this October!