The Pyschopump of Pump Street
Date: 28 October 2025 - 31 October 2025
Venue: Ferryquay Street, Derry, BT48 6JB
The Psychopomp of Pump Street is a poetic, interactive pop-up where a ghostly guide invites passers-by to draw tarot-style cards featuring legendary or forgotten figures from the North West. Each card sparks a short, dramatic monologue that blends myth, history, and Halloween magic. Dressed in harvest tones, the Psychopomp channels old Celtic customs and carnival mysticism—offering spooky, soulful stories for all ages.
The Psychopomp of Pump Street is a poetic, interactive pop-up performance booth led by a ghostly narrator who acts as a guide between this world and the next. Positioned near Pump Street, the Psychopomp invites passers-by to choose from a deck of illustrated tarot-style cards, each representing a real or legendary underrepresented figure from the history and folklore of the North West. Once a card is selected, the Psychopomp "calls in" that spirit and shares a 2–3 minute poetic monologue inspired by their life or myth.
This performance is an ideal match for the Pump-kin Street zone, which centres on harvest, tradition, trick-or-treat energy, and old Celtic customs. The Psychopomp acts as a modern-day carnival medium, draped in harvest-toned orange and mysterious symbols, offering story-readings to families and small groups as they pass. The piece gives a nod to fortune-tellers, ghost-talkers, and community seers — an essential part of any Halloween carnival atmosphere. It invites audiences not just to witness magic but to participate in it.