This Halloween, as Waterford marks an extraordinary 1,111 years as Ireland’s oldest city, the streets, ruins, gardens, and mountains will stir with ancient whispers, ghostly figures, and chilling tales. Samhain, the Celtic festival of the dead, returns to its rightful home in the Déise, where legend and reality merge under shadow and flame.

Visit Waterford has created a list of the top 11 things to do while in the Déise this Samhain, so don’t miss out.

From October 25 to November 2nd, the city and county will transform into a realm of eerie enchantment, offering visitors a chance to wander through haunted history, confront forgotten spirits, and uncover the darker side of Waterford’s rich past.

At the City’s Samhain Festival (October 25 to 27), the Samhain Fire & Shadows procession will set the tone with torchlight, puppetry, and the haunting tale of An Dearg Dua, Waterford’s infamous female vampire who has stalked local lore for centuries. The parade begins at the Irish Wake Museum, moving through Cathedral Square in a spectral pageant of fire and music, conjuring the mysteries of the veil between worlds. Alongside the parade, expect tarot readings, ghostly storytelling, candlelit concerts, and the blood-pumping Monster Mosh that rattles the city with gothic sounds until midnight.

For three days, the Samhain Festival will take over Waterford’s historic streets, squares, and quays. As dusk falls, the city becomes an open-air theatre of shadows with fire dancers, roaming spectres, and haunting light installations illuminating the Viking Triangle and Cultural Quarter. Market stalls brim with seasonal fare, fortune tellers invite the curious to glimpse their fate, and musicians keep the night alive with rhythms that echo into the dark. It is a carnival of the strange and spectral, where families, thrill-seekers, and lovers of folklore all find their place in Ireland’s oldest city.

Beyond the festival streets, here are eleven unmissable and spine-tingling ways to embrace the spirit of Halloween in Waterford 2025:

  1. Dark History Tours of Waterford Treasures take you on a 90-minute plunge into the underbelly of the city. Here you will meet tales of murder, tragedy, and restless spirits that still cling to the medieval lanes, the echoes of footsteps and whispers following in your wake.
  2. The Medieval Museum immerses you in shadowed vaults, relics of suffering, and centuries of death, reminding visitors that the walls themselves have witnessed plague, war, and bloodshed.
  3. At the Irish Museum of Time, the ticking of ancient clocks becomes unnerving in the gloom, as if each chime were marking not the hours but the lives lost through centuries. Some say you can feel time itself closing in.
  4. The Irish Wake Museum chills with Ireland’s rituals of mourning, a place where candlelight, keening, and the presence of the departed seep into every dark corner.
  5. On the Waterford Greenway, the Ballyvoile Tunnel becomes the “Spooky Tunnel” once more. By lantern glow, hear ghost stories of the railway line, of tragic accidents and shadows that dart just beyond sight. Few emerge without feeling a shiver down the spine.
  6. The Comeragh Mountains, cloaked in mist and silence, are said to be home to elemental spirits. Wander there at dusk, and you may hear the banshee’s wail carried on the wind or glimpse shadowy figures among the rocks.
  7. At Ballysaggartmore Towers, the ruined Gothic follies rise like the skeletons of castles, their archways groaning in the night. Legend tells of a cruel landlord whose restless spirit haunts the woods.
  8. Halloween at Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens in Tramore blends Celtic and Japanese folklore in a night of ghostly apparitions, samurai spirits, and glowing lanterns that beckon visitors deeper into the shadows of the forest.
  9. The Waterford Suir Valley Railway Spooky Express carries families through eerie countryside where costumed spirits appear at bends in the track. As the train rattles slowly past the dark waters of the Suir, eyes may be watching from the hedgerows.
  10. On October 31, Mount Congreve Gardens opens its gates after dark for the adults-only Poison & Petals Halloween Tour. Here, poisonous plants are revealed in sinister detail, accompanied by folklore of witches, curses, and dark remedies whispered under the cover of night. Booking is essential, and the tour begins precisely at 17:33, the hour of twilight.
  11. Families can look to Lismore Courthouse Theatre, which becomes a hub of Halloween magic and mischief. On October 26, the big screen lights up with Casper, the much-loved tale of a friendly ghost who befriends a young girl while uncovering the secrets of his past. Costumes are encouraged to add to the playful spirit of the day. On October 29, the theatre welcomes children once more for a Halloween Camp, a morning of spooky creativity, games, and crafts that lets imagination take centre stage. These family events ensure that while Waterford’s Halloween can be spine-chilling, it also offers warmth, fun, and a touch of charm for younger visitors.

Beyond the list of 11 things to do, there is even more to discover across Waterford this Halloween.

In Lismore, the Courthouse Theatre continues to echo with ghosts, legends, and local lore. On October 24, Voices from the Veil invites audiences to an evening of paranormal discussion with Irish Paranormal Investigations. The same venue hosts Whispers of the Workhouse on October 26 and 27, bringing the stories of Lismore’s long-abandoned workhouse to life through shadow and performance.

Waterford’s waters also take on a festive edge on October 25 with the Three Sisters Halloween Cruise departing at 1 pm. Families are encouraged to don their spookiest attire, with prizes for the best-dressed child and adult as the boat winds along the river.

For those seeking a more refined experience, Lismore Castle hosts ‘A Taste of Autumn’ on October 16, an evening of seasonal cookery with celebrated chef Eunice Power. Guests will enjoy a drinks reception, a flavour-packed demonstration, and the chance to support the restoration of St Carthage’s Cathedral, with a grand raffle of unique prizes rounding off the night.

As the veil between worlds thins, Waterford’s 1,111th year is marked not just with celebration but with a haunting invitation: to step back into its long and ghost-ridden past, to listen for the voices that linger, and to discover why the Déise remains Ireland’s true home of Halloween.

For further details, see www.visitwaterford.com