Dead of Night Festival

The Dead of Night Festival in County Longford has evolved into one of the region’s most significant cultural events, pushing Halloween beyond a seasonal party into a celebration with deep roots in folklore, community participation, creativity, and tourism.

Held on Halloween night, the parade transforms Longford Town into a theatrical stage of light, shadow, myth and spectacle. Its centrepiece is the Fire and Shadows Procession, a dramatic, mythologically charged parade that weaves through town, led by figures from Irelands Celtic mythology. The processions draw on ancient Samhain myth as well as local tales, linking this modern festivity with Ireland’s heritage.

The procession is created by a team of local artists and designers and produced by Longford Arts Office and Longford Local Community Safety Partnership. Longford Arts have developed a training and mentoring relationship with Spraoi Waterford over the last three years to develop capacity and sustain the skills of spectacle making and street theatre locally.

The Fire and Shadows procession is part of a three-year Fáilte Ireland pilot programme to develop the domestic tourism potential of the Halloween season. The pilot is funded by Longford County Council, Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Night-Time Economy Taskforce.