Halloween in Derry is one of its most renowned and celebrated festivities. Thousands flock to the city centre in costume, to join in with the sparkling atmosphere, and magic live environment.
However over the last couple of years there have been calls for an end to the festival, due to tales of underage drinking and overcrowded A & E departments in our local hospital. As we all know Halloween is that time of year where ghosts and ghouls appear once again, but is it also an excuse for the spirit of underage drinking to appear?
While on the topic of spirits where do all the young people manage to get the drink from? As I thought about this time and again there was just no reasonable explanation, but then it hit me, there was only one way to get so much drink out of an off licence. The only thing I could think of is that the sellers just aren't asking for identification. When debating this with my peers I found they all shared the same experience, pupils in school often gloating about being served alcohol.
However is this something to gloat about or is it just creating more pressure for paramedics in the Halloween A & E war? In society today we notice a lot of noisy bangers and fireworks also going off, which again are becoming more readily available.
As a young person it concerns me that at this time of year that people are using fireworks under the influence of alcohol and drugs. When this is combined with large crowds it can become just another excuse to cause damage.
So then, what can be done? I personally feel the issue is with our authorities, and if more vigilance was taken into practise, then perhaps their power would be respected. Until then, Halloween will probably continue to be nothing more than an excuse to get wasted for many people here in Derry and further afield! What do you think?
About this team
This story was written by David Hunter and edited by Gavin Leung. It appeared on the Reach for the Sky website.
