Waterford unveils spooky Samhain festival for all the family this Halloween

Trace Halloween right back to its origins and you'll find yourself in the times of pagan Ireland over 3,000 years ago – a time when the ancient festival of Samhain was celebrated to mark the beginning of winter and across Waterford City and County there are Samhain celebrations in abundance.

In Waterford city, a Samhain festival is on offer with a celebration of folklore, magic and myth of Ireland's ancient Halloween traditions throughout the October Bank Holiday weekend.

The city streets will be awash with a fusion of spooky, spectral and bewitching events under the watchful eye of An Dearg Dua, a 2,000-year-old female vampire with binding Déise connections.

On Friday, October 25, award-winning street spectacle creators, Spraoi, returns to the streets of Waterford with a stunning shadowy Samhain procession and finale performance.

Themed Fire and Shadows this year's procession is inspired by An Dearg Dua, a unique piece of Waterford folklore.

The Fire and Shadows procession will begin from 6pm, adjacent to the Irish Wake Museum in Waterford's Viking Triangle and weave through the streets with its audience towards the city centre for its blood-curdling finale.

In addition to the fang-tastic Samhain procession, Waterford city will play host to a flurry of fun, family-friendly concerts, food stalls, tales and treats from October 25 - 27.

In the dead centre of the city, the award-winning guides from Waterford Treasures Museums will be offering a guided experience through the dark history of Ireland's oldest city plus there will be After Dark tours available at the Irish Wake Museum.

During the 90-minute fully guided Dark History Tour, visitors will be taken through the centuries, to explore the murky underbelly of Ireland's oldest city.

Vampires, ghosts, murderers and poor creatures from Waterford's past will make an appearance on this special limited-edition tour experience.

From the home of the Waterford Treasures museums in the Viking Triangle to the top of the town in Ballybricken Square, the city is filled with stories just dying to get out. The Dark History Tours will take place from October 30 to November 3 at 7pm, and are suitable for those aged 14 and up.

Also on offer, this Hallowe'en is a special After Dark Tour of the recently-opened Irish Wake Museum in Ireland's oldest urban domestic building, now lovingly restored.

It is when the shadows lengthen and the busy daytime life of the Viking Triangle goes quiet that you can hear the ghosts of the former occupants whisper round these parts – people such as Dean John Collyn and his friend Mayor James Rice founders of the Alms House or Mary Susannah Roberts wife of John Roberts who lived here with their growing family in the 1700s.

The Irish Wake Museum traces the customs, traditions and superstitions associated with death in Ireland from the earliest times to the 20th century. Tours are on offer at 5pm, 6pm and 7 pm from October 30 to November 3 for those aged 14 and up.

At the nearby Mount Congreve Gardens, located 10 minutes from Waterford city there is a family fun occasion on offer with Pumpkin Picking amid the 70 acres of gardens and walking trails.

The ghastly ghouls have returned – and are taking over the gardens with little visitors encouraged to follow the Halloween trail to find all of the ghastly ghouls and a pumpkin as their reward. The family fun is open through the mid-term from Wednesday to bank holiday Monday with access for those under four free of charge.

On the Waterford Suir Valley Railway, the is a world of spooky fun on offer aboard the Spooky Express.

Perfect for families seeking a thrilling yet family-friendly experience, this special event promises forty minutes of eerie excitement and Halloween cheer.

Further along the former rail line on the Waterford Greenway the 'Spooky Tunnel' awaits from October 25. The 400 metre-long dark former railway tunnel from the 1870's at Durrow and Ballyvoyle is transformed with a Halloween installation which is free to attend.

Enjoy a 'walk-through experience' that promises to be a frightful sight to behold for all ages. The tunnel's dimly lit recesses and arched ceiling are fantastically atmospheric at any time of year and form the perfect backdrop for a 'spooktacular' Halloween-themed display.

In Tramore, the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens a unique Ghostly Woodland Walk will be on offer and is very much aimed at 'Little Monsters'.

Families can enjoy a walk through the gardens but beware when you cross the Japanese Bridge and enter the Woodlands. In October, ghouls, witches and skeletons are found lurking here in the undergrowth and high up in the trees. The cold air is filled with eerie sounds and noises coming from secret pathways. A visit to the woodlands at Halloween is perfect for small children who are usually in bed before dark.

In the heritage town of Lismore at Lismore Heritage Centre there are free movies for families in The Courthouse Theatre on Thursday, October 31 at 2pm with lots of spooky treats provided.

Carnevil takes place at Lismore Castle on October 26 - 27, if enter the world of this mysterious travelling carnival, will you survive? "Don't miss out," said a spokesperson. "For two nights only join a most terrifying experience this Halloween."

Family stays and special offer mid-term breaks are all available across Waterford City and county hotels and accommodation providers, see www.visitwaterford.com for these and the event details. "Miss it as your peril."