News

Step aboard The Coffin Ship for a terrifyingly fun Derry Halloween experience

28 October 2026

Bennigan’s Bar is bringing a brand new experience to this year’s Derry Halloween programme, with The Coffin Ship promising a chilling journey for those brave enough to step aboard.

Transforming into an immersive, Famine-era experience, the local bar is bringing history to life through live actors, musicians, dramatic sets and atmospheric sound design.

Part of the wider Derry Halloween programme, the unique, two-floor scare experience promises to take visitors on an unforgettable journey into one of the darkest chapters of Irish history, combining spine-tingling scares with an insight to the fear and hardship faced by those who made the devastating crossings during the Great Famine.

Designed exclusively for over-18s, The Coffin Ship is not for the faint-hearted. Over the course of an hour, passengers will encounter live characters and dramatic scenes with carefully crafted sets and sound effects promising to give everyone a fright. But the experience is not all doom and gloom. As the journey progresses, the atmosphere begins to lift, with live music, a little dancing and a complimentary themed cocktail to lighten the mood.

This year, as Derry Halloween celebrates its 40th anniversary, the team at Bennigans is taking on its first major immersive production, bringing together performers, set design and sound to create something entirely new.

John Leighton from Bennigan’s Bar said: “We are incredibly excited to finally share what we have been working on. There has been a huge amount of effort put into bringing this experience to life, from the sets and sound design to the characters and performances, and we have some great surprises in store for our passengers.

“We wanted to give people a flavour of just how horrendous these crossings were and bring to life some of what people experienced during those awful times, while creating something that is also entertaining and memorable.

“It is particularly special to be launching our first big Halloween experience in Derry Halloween’s 40th anniversary year. We usually host Halloween-themed music events, so this is a completely new challenge for us, and we really hope people come along and give it a go for the craic. It is going to be terrifyingly fun, I promise!”

The Coffin Ship runs for three nights before Halloween on Wednesday 28th, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th October. Shows are on at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm each night. Tickets are £15 and can be purchased here: www.derryhalloween.com/tickets

To find out more about the Derry Halloween 2026 programme, please visit www.derryhalloween.com

Derry Halloween is delivered by Derry City and Strabane District Council with support from Tourism Northern Ireland and The Executive Office.