Have your say on Strabane Halloween plans

The closing date for a consultation on the issue will close on Monday, June 17 and as many people as possible are encouraged to have their say.

The rationale behind the proposal is to maximise the opportunities that exist to grow and enhance the celebrations in the town and allow more flexibility to attract world-class performances.

Council is of the view that a fixed weekend date for the Halloween celebrations in Strabane would allow festival organisers to attract world-class animation and activities and maximise the opportunities for programming activity.

The Council believes that it will also allow the business community and the local voluntary and community sector to develop their offering and reap the economic benefits a weekend festival would bring.

A spokesperson explained: “A weekend Halloween celebration in Strabane will allow for more flexibility and creativity for programming and could see the inclusion of large-scale world-class animation performances such as Saurus, a giant four-piece dinosaur-like beasts that are planned for this year’s celebrations.”

The Council has been in discussions with the Strabane Town Forum and the Business Improvement District about the proposals and is now seeking feedback from the public as part of a public consultation process.

The spokesperson for Council, encouraging the public to have their say and give their feedback on the consultation, said it was important to hear the views of the local community.

She said: “Halloween is a hugely important and significant celebration for our Council area and we are really keen to enhance and build on our offering in Strabane. We believe that by hosting it on a weekend date we can make it bigger and better for everyone by enhancing the programme offering and getting more organisations involved.

“We hope that the weekend date will also benefit families and those with children so they can make the most of the Halloween holidays with activities for them to enjoy and participate in during the weekend.”

Details of the Halloween programme have yet to be announced and details are currently being finalised with a formal launch to take place over the summer following the conclusion of the consultation process.

The public can take part in the consultation by taking part in the survey that asks them to respond Yes or No to a question - Do you think the Strabane Halloween Celebrations should move to a weekend date?

The consultation period is opened on Monday, May 20 and already hundreds of people from the local community have made their views known.

However the consultation is only open until Monday, June 17 and can be availed of via the following link - https://haveyoursay.derrystrabane.com/mkt/strabane-halloween/

So whatever your view is go online and have your say before it’s too late!