Annual Halloween festival will be hosted in Dublin this month

Ireland’s annual Bram Stoker Festival for Halloween will again descend upon Dublin over the Irish bank holiday weekend, October 26 - 29.

The Bram Stoker Festival, hosted in part by Dublin City Council and Failte Ireland, promises a range of activities including theatre, readings, illustration and animation, outdoor screenings, audio treats, free family fun parks, podcasts, and more.

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More than 70,000 people are expected to take part in the Halloween festival which is named after one of Ireland’s most famous authors, Bram Stoker, who wrote the iconic gothic novel Dracula.

Bram Stoker Festival 2017

Bram Stoker Festival 2017

Dublin’s Lord Mayor Nial Ring said: “As a proud Dubliner, it is great to see that this ever-growing annual festival honors one of our most famous sons and also brings the spectacular Macnas through the streets of Dublin.”

“This year’s ambitious programme certainly provides something for everyone, while ensuring that Bram’s many great works are referenced and celebrated. I know that anyone who comes into the city will enjoy the diverse events across the weekend.”

CEO of Failte Ireland Paul Kelly said: “A celebration of one of our most famous writers and all things spooky, the festival is a fantastic showcase of the city of Dublin, our culture and people.”

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Bram Stoker Festival 2017

Bram Stoker Festival 2017

“From music to theatre and of course, literature, the streets of Dublin will be transformed with a ghoulish line-up of entertainment over the October Bank Holiday Weekend. Festivals and events are crucial to the tourism sector and greatly enhance the visitor experience while highlighting all that Ireland has to offer and the Bram Stoker Festival once again promises to be a high point in Dublin’s autumn calendar.”

Festival Co-Director Maria Schweppe said: “We’ve seen the festival grow year on year and we couldn’t be more excited about this year’s programme, which finds inspiration not only in the life and works of Bram Stoker, but also in his gothic legacy, the spectacular Victorian architecture in Dublin, the supernatural, and Ireland’s Samhain traditions.”