Group behind Halloween parade to cease operations

An arts organisation known for staging the Halloween and St Patrick's Day parades in Londonderry is to be wound up.

Councillors have been told that the North West Carnival Initiative (NWCI) is to enter administration and cease operating.

It has been instrumental in delivering the carnival parade for Europe's largest Halloween festival in Derry, creating large-scale puppets and costumes with local community groups.

In a statement, NWCI said it had informed the council it could not continue to provide its services.

The NWCI board said a number of ongoing issues, including unresolved intellectual property concerns raised by artists over "props, costumes and set materials", had significantly affected its ability to plan future programmes.

With "limited resources and capacity" as a small charitable organisation, NWCI said the pressures had become unsustainable ahead of the 40th anniversary Halloween programme.

The board said it would enter administration in an "orderly" process.

The news comes a year after celebrated 20 years of bringing creative projects to the north west.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 people from all over the world were in Derry last year for the now world-famous carnival programme.

The event costs about £550,000 to put on, but Derry City and Strabane District Council officials estimate that, in 2025 alone, it generated about £7.4m for the local economy.

Interim head of culture Jacqueline Whoriskey told Tuesday's council meeting that plans are already in place to deliver the 40th anniversary Halloween event.

That will happen through a new partnership model led by a creative director and involving multiple organisations and community groups.

"This approach is intended to provide paid work and commissioning opportunities for local artists, makers, technicians and suppliers, as well as also strengthening the wider cultural sector by retaining activity and spend locally."

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Wednesday, Sinn Féin councillor Grace Uí Niallais said it was incredibly sad and disappointing that NWCI would cease operations.

"They have brought so many years of joy through all the different carnivals, such as the St Patrick's Day Spring Carnival and, of course, Halloween, which has attracted visitors from all over the world," she said.

"We have so many great memories of them being involved.

"Nobody knows Derry Halloween like the artists from Derry, so I feel it's really important that artists from this area lead and have meaningful participation in this parade going forward."