Published: Wednesday, 21st October, 2009 5:20pm

Hallowe'en festival confirmed for Athlone

by Deirdre Verney

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Hallowe'en.

The first ever Hallowe'en Festival will take place in Athlone this October 31, after organisers confirmed that funding has been provided for the community celebrations.

The County Westmeath VEC granted €12,000 towards the festival through the Minister's Office for Children. The festival is being organised by members of RAPID along with Athlone Town Council, Roscommon County Council and Westmeath Community Development.

"We are delighted to receive word of the success of our application for funding. The organising committee can now proceed with our plans for a fantastic festival," said Marie Reddin, Chairperson of Athlone RAPID Implementation Team, speaking on behalf of the organisers.

The festival aims to prevent anti-social behaviour on Hallowe'en night such as bonfires and fireworks and to make the night more family-friendly.

Although the programme of activities has yet to be fully finalised, so far the plans include a Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Fancy Dress Parade starting at 6pm from The Civic Square in Athlone then heading over the town bridge to St Peter's Church and back to the civic square. The parade will be led by the Ravens Marching Band and Attitude Dance Company are also taking part. Tonnta will add plenty of colour to the parade with an entertaining array of 15ft puppets.

After the parade a Monster Ball will take place in the Civic Square where live bands, a rap artist and DJ Peter Casey will entertain the crowd. There will also be a fancy dress competition and prizes for scariest and funniest costumes, plus other spot prizes on the night. Light refreshments will also be provided.

Michael Cunniffe, from Monksland Residents' Association, who is also involved in organising the festival, has explained that the purpose of the Hallowe'en Festival is to offer young people an alternative to bonfires.

"Many parents are concerned about the dangers posed by bonfires and the anti-social behaviour that occurs around this time of year," he said. "By offering an alternative, parents and local communities can show young people that they can enjoy themselves in an alcohol-free and bonfire-free festival atmosphere."

Children and young adults between the ages of ten and 21 are being encouraged to start planning their Thriller and monster costumes now - as there's less than two weeks to go. Anyone interested in the Hallowe'en workshops should contact Sandie Hughes from Tonnta on 090 6476615.

This project is a joint collaboration between Athlone Town Council and Roscommon County Council and councillors from both sides of the Shannon have been involved to date. Additional funding for the festival has been pledged by Roscommon County Council, Athlone's RAPID programme and Westmeath Community Development Ltd have agreed to cover insurance costs.