🌦️ Bray’s weather for Saturday

🎃 Halloween plans — science, pumpkins, baking, art and live entertainment

🎨 More local discoveries — Tesco face painting and Boomerang Bar music

📚 Sunday in Bray — Paddy Pidgeon’s book launch at The Martello

🍽️ Food & Drink — three specific local picks

👻 Trick-or-treating — useful tips for families and pets

⚽ Wanderers’ big Sunday final

🕯️ A little Samhain craic

😂 Meme of the Day

Met Éireann’s national outlook for Saturday gives bright spells and drier weather away from the northwest at first. Rain is expected to move south-east later, becoming lighter and patchier, with highs of 12–14°C and light winds. A rain layer is still worth bringing for an afternoon out.

Latest forecast →

Bray Wanderers beat Kerry 3–0 at the Carlisle Grounds on Tuesday night to win the semi-final 5–1 on aggregate. A season-best crowd of 2,550 watched the Seagulls reach the First Division play-off final for the third year in a row.

Next up is UCD at Tolka Park on Sunday 1 November, kick-off 3pm. Bray fans are assigned the Riverside Stand; tickets are on sale. The winner advances to a promotion/relegation play-off against the ninth-placed Premier Division side, so Sunday is a big step rather than promotion itself.

RTÉ’s match report → · Bray supporters’ tickets →

Junior Einsteins runs a hands-on Halloween science camp for children aged 5–11 at Festina Lente, Old Connaught Avenue. Expect bubbling experiments, forensic mysteries, slime and glowing science. Save 20% for siblings with code Halloween20 but check availability before travelling.

See the camp and booking details →

Festina Lente also has a supervised pumpkin-carving workshop for ages 4–11. Children turn a prepared pumpkin into a fairy house or spaceship, decorating it with foliage from the gardens. Parents must stay and supervise carving tools. Booking is essential; the workshop is also listed for Sunday 1 November.

See workshop details →

Bake it Happen and Ciranda Ireland offer a small-group session for ages 5–10 at 30c Main Street. Children make Halloween cake pops and brain-shaped Rice Krispies treats to take home; the advertised sibling price is €30.

Check whether places remain →

Little ghosts, cats and superheroes can get Halloween face painting for €3 per child, or €5 for two children. Proceeds support the Children’s Health Foundation.

Prefer something creative without the costumes? Mermaid Arts Centre on Main Street opens its Made in Wicklow craft exhibition with a free drop-in gallery event. See work by county makers and learn about the people and places behind it. The exhibition continues until 14 November.

Exhibition details →

Looking for something for the grown-ups? The Boomerang Bar on Main Street has three acts lined up this weekend.

🎸 Saturday: Donie Devenney, 6–9pm, followed by Ed Keating Jnr at 9.30pm.

🎤 Sunday: Memphis Kings, 9–11pm.

Get your costumes ready! The Palm is throwing a Halloween party on Saturday night with live music, a DJ and some fantastic best-dressed prizes.

🏆 Up for grabs: A one-night stay at The Palm Hotel, a €100 voucher and six passes to Seawater Saunas.

So gather your friends, dress to impress and enjoy a spooky night on Bray seafront!

See The Palm's announcement →

Fancy a bit of live music this Halloween? Ska Heads are bringing their lively ska sounds to The Harbour Bar from 9pm, with free admission.

Grab your friends and enjoy a great night of music in one of Bray's best-loved pubs!

Saturday live-music listing →

Local author Paddy Pidgeon launches Olly’s Sunday Places: Sketches from a Bray Walk in the first-floor Bistro area of The Martello, 47 Strand Road. The book celebrates a familiar walk along the Bray seafront. Copies cost €10 and donations support Autism Initiatives – Bray Horizons. A lovely local Sunday afternoon alternative to the Halloween rush.

Scotus Press, the book publisher →

The Harbour Bar Fish Bar’s €14.50 Spice Box combines calamari, prawns and fish scraps with chips and curry sauce. Find it at 1 Strand Road, with weekend food served noon–9pm on a walk-in basis. A seafood alternative when the takeaway vote usually ends in chicken or pizza.

Fish Bar menu and serving times

At 9 Dublin Road in Little Bray, Fredi’s listed delivery menu prices its Chicken Gyros Wrap at €11.99. It comes with pita, chicken gyros, mayo-mustard sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and chips. The Bray branch lists Thursday–Sunday service from noon to 11pm; delivery fees and in-store pricing can differ.

See Fredi’s Pita and order options

At Killruddery Yard, the Pizza Shed’s €16 Winetavern Pork Pizza comes with tomato, mozzarella, nduja and Wicklow pork sausage with fennel and oregano. Saturday service runs noon–5pm, with last orders at 4.45pm. Order for collection through the live menu.

See the Pizza Shed’s current menu

Costumes on, treat bags ready. When you're out trick-or-treating, choose a familiar route and bring a torch or reflective light so drivers can see you. Make sure costumes don't obstruct vision, and use battery-powered candles in pumpkins. If you’re welcoming callers, keep your doorway and path clear — and leave a few sweets for the visitors.

Halloween is all about fun, excitement and community spirit, but we also want everyone to get home safely at the end of the night.

Unfortunately, illegal bonfires and fireworks can cause serious injuries, harm the environment and put extra pressure on our emergency services.

Let's look out for each other this Halloween! Keep furniture, tyres and other waste secure so they don't end up on illegal bonfires. Burning these materials releases toxic fumes and can cause fires to spread.

If you spot a dangerous fire, call 112 or 999. Illegal dumping can be reported to Wicklow County Council at [email protected].

Bray's 2026 Halloween safety information →

Before the doorbell marathon begins, walk dogs in daylight, close windows and curtains, and set up a comfortable place away from the front door. Dogs Trust Ireland offers a free Sound Blanket audio resource; try it cautiously and let your pet choose a quiet place to settle. Keep chocolate and sweets well out of reach.

Dogs Trust advice and Sound Blanket →

Halloween has deep roots in Ireland's Samhain tradition, a seasonal turning point marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. Long before plastic skeletons and multipacks of sweets, families marked the darker evenings with gatherings, games and stories. Wicklow County Council's Samhain Wicklow programme has brought seasonal events to the county this October.

For a quick at-home tradition, try a round of Halloween riddles or storytelling after the trick-or-treating is done. Or keep an eye out for elaborate costumes and decorated doors as you walk your neighbourhood. The simplest Halloween plans can be the memorable ones.

Samhain Wicklow's local events overview →

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