Scares and songs in the Tower Museum for '˜The Dark Tower'

The Dark Tower was part of ‘The Late Shift’ – a series of after-dark, adults-only happenings in museums across the North this autumn.

Revellers from as far away as Estonia joined locals for an evening of ghost tours and music, in the unique setting of the Tower Museum.

The Ghost Story of Derry ran every 15 minutes around the bottom floor of the museum. It was extremely popular with the crowds on Friday night, and although we had a bit of a wait, the lovely Hannah kept up entertained in the queue!

The tour took us on a brief history of scary Derry, in and around the museum exhibitions, and it was definitely not for the faint hearted.

A DJ playing horror film favourites on the roof of the tower provided the perfect soundtrack to the spooky celebration.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the Sunken Ship Stage, Ryan Vail treated the crowds to an excellent set, surrounded by artifacts of Derry.

It was a fantastic experience being able to explore the museum at night time, and hopefully it’s the first of many such events in the Tower Museum.

The 2018 Halloween programme will run until November 3, with over 100 family friendly activities at more than 40 venues, stretching over nine jam-packed days.

Among the regular highlights which draw thousands to the city each year, is Awakening the Walls, for three evenings before Halloween the city parties with the supernatural to banish the dark on an animated and illuminated trail throughout the historic City Walls.

On October 31, the traditional Carnival parade which will bring hundreds of performers together to celebrate this year’s Return of the Ancients theme. The night will finish in a spectacular Halloween fireworks finale over the River Foyle. The programme is organised and funded by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from the Tourism N. Ireland International Fund. The full programme is available online at www.derryhalloween.com