PLANS for a fireworks display as the culmination of Hallowe’en celebrations in Derry have been dropped because of concern over Covid cases.
Derry City and Strabane District Council initially scaled back plans for the event but yesterday announced it would be scrapped altogether.
Tens of thousands of people normally attend the annual Hallowe’en carnival in Derry, which has become the biggest celebration of its kind in Ireland.
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The council announced in June that the main in carnival would not go ahead this year due to the coronavirus pandemic but would be replaced by a smaller festival.
This was to include a series of localised fireworks displays to replace the annual spectacular from barges on the River Foyle.
However, at a briefing for council members yesterday, officials said the fireworks had been cancelled to ensure there would be no gatherings of people in the city.
The carnival has been replaced by a series of online events and “street dressing”.
Derry mayor Brian Tierney said the decision was taken because of the alarming spike in Covid-19 cases in the council area.
