Developing Halloween in Ireland

FEI were appointed in 2018 by Fáilte Ireland to assess the feasibility of a Halloween Festival as a world-class visitor experience in Ireland. We mapped existing assets and international demand, identified gaps, benchmarked similar festivals and showed how Ireland could be identified with Halloween, particularly in Ireland’s Ancient East. A preferred option was agreed following creative ideation and this was developed into a detailed proposal for the first Púca Festival in 2019.

In 2024, Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland came together to develop a five-year “Ireland, Home of Halloween” Strategic Framework and Action Plan. In 2025, FEI were appointed on a 12-month contract to provide Project Management of the Ireland, Home of Halloween Destination Development Scheme.

The FEI team worked closely with the seven Home of Halloween destination hubs to establish key opportunities and challenges as they prepared for the pilot Ireland, Home of Halloween in 2025. A detailed Evaluation Report of the pilot project was produced, alongside other key strategic documents including international benchmarking, funding opportunities, awards and recognition opportunities, sector tools and a plan for Ireland, Home of Halloween 2026 and beyond.

"FEI did a great job developing a value proposition for Halloween in Ireland motivating overseas tourists to travel and stay in Dublin and Ireland’s Ancient East. They created an exciting  proposal for the brand new Púca Festival and helped us find a Creative Producer to deliver the first edition. They combined great international insight and research with a rigorous Marketing, Communications and Evaluation Strategy, sharing their wealth of experience in the development of tourism festivals."
Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals and Events, Fáilte Ireland