festival

WITH Halloween fast approaching, our Spotlight on column focuses on Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

The city is home to Europe’s biggest Halloween festival – now in its 40th year.

To celebrate, the city is launching a year-round Derry Samhain Experience and a permanent Halloween mural.

Here are some other top tips from us, including where to stay and some hidden gems.

MUST SEE/DO

From October 28 to November 1, The Awakening The Walled City Trail fills the city centre with light installations, street theatre, fire performers and live music, while the Little Horrors programme keeps younger children busy.

On Halloween night the Carnival Parade sets off at 7pm, followed by fireworks over the River Foyle.

BOOK IT

20 ultra cheap girly hols – UK trips, city breaks & all inclusive stays from £59

SIP IT

Beachfront city with 300 sunshine days, wild sea lions & champagne vending machines

Pack a costume, as locals take dressing up seriously.

The trail, parade and fireworks are all free, but if you plan to visit make sure you book a bed as soon as possible.

BEST VIEW

Derry‘s 17th-century walls, built between 1613 and 1618 to protect English and Scottish settlers, are the only fully preserved city walls in Ireland.

They have never been breached, not even during the 105-day siege of 1689.

The mile-long loop takes you past seven gates and 24 restored cannons, including Roaring Meg, stamped “Fishmongers, London, 1642” after the livery company that paid for it.

From the ramparts you can look down over the Bogside, where murals and Free Derry Corner tell the story of the Troubles.

HIDDEN GEM

The Dickensian-style Derry Craft Village in the heart of the city is a reconstruction of an 18th-century street and 19th-century square, home to more than 70 local makers.

It was built by the Inner City Trust, a charity set up in 1976 to rebuild the city centre during the Troubles. Its cafes are good for a coffee or a bite.

Derry Girls fans should then pop next door to the Tower Museum, home of the Derry Girls Experience.

RATED RESTAURANT

Browns Bonds Hill, on the east bank of the River Foyle, serves modern dishes made with local, seasonal produce.

Opened in 2009 by chef patron Ian Orr, Michelin‘s inspectors single it out for its good value.

For something more casual, sister restaurant Browns in Town is across the river on Strand Road and serves classic burgers, steak sandwiches and pasta.

BEST BAR

Peadar O’Donnell’s on Waterloo Street has live traditional Irish music every night, in a pub done up like an old-fashioned grocer’s and hung with flags.

It’s a top spot to pull up a stool and sink a pint of Guinness. If it’s too busy, try the Gweedore Bar, under the same roof with an equally buzzy atmosphere.

HOTEL PICK

The Walled City Hotel opened last autumn with 40 rooms in a 1920s former Bank of Ireland building on Strand Road, a two-minute walk from the Guildhall.

Its vaulted ceilings now look down on a bar and restaurant. Rooms cost from £102 per night. See walledcityhotel.com.

BILLIE EILISH is gearing up for a return in 2027 – and planning to perform on the biggest stages of her career so far.

I have been told the American singer has almost completed work on her fourth studio album, and a tour is also in the works to coincide with its release next year.

The last time Billie performed in the UK, she sold out six nights at London’s O2 Arena, four at Manchester’s Co-op Live, as well as two in Dublin’s 3Arena.

But now she is hoping to go even bigger, with her team in talks for major stadium concerts and festivals in 2027 and 2028.

My music insider explained: “Billie has been hard at work on her fourth album this year and her team are already putting a plan together for its rollout.

“She has grown and grown in popularity, and promoters are speaking to her team about putting on the biggest shows of her career.

HAYLER TRIAL

Katie Price reveals why she made ‘little star’ remark to Kieran ‘rape victim’

TRAGIC STAR

How devastating family accident, vile scam & bullying shaped RJ Mitte’s life

“She has the popularity to be a stadium act now and sell out massive venues.

“On her first few tours, her team were conscious that she was very young and didn’t want to overwhelm her with venues which were too big, too early on.

“But Billie is in a really good place and she is raring to get out on the road again.”

Remarkably, next year will also mark ten years since her debut EP, Don’t Smile At Me, which was released when she was just 15.

Billie has had an incredible career so far, scoring three No1 albums.

She released her debut When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in 2019, followed by 2021’s Happier Than Ever and 2024’s Hit Me Hard And Soft. Meanwhile, her 14 Top Ten singles include No Time To Die, What Was I Made For and Guess, with Charli XCX.

She has also won ten Grammys — including Song Of The Year three times since 2020 — as well as two Oscars and two Golden Globes.

In April, Billie commented on the progress on her fourth album, saying: “We’re more than halfway.”

She took time out over the summer to shoot a movie adaptation of The Bell Jar.

But from what I’ve been told, there isn’t too long to go before we get to hear a few more tunes from her.

After a concertgoer died in the audience at a Carson music festival on Saturday, an artist is outraged the show continued while the deceased was still on-site.

On Saturday, at Carson’s Anderson Memorial Park, Shari Sanders of Altadena was found unconscious in the VIP section of the city’s annual jazz festival.

Dr. Dionne Leslie, a festival attendee, told KTLA that she performed CPR on Sanders before paramedics arrived. “[I was] just trying to breathe air into that woman and for her to look up in that moment, I just thought that she was going to make it,” Leslie told KTLA.

Sanders was later pronounced dead after what her family described as a heat-related illness. The cause of death is still under investigation.

Representatives for the city of Carson and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Carson station did not immediately return requests for information or comment.

Now Sheila E., a legendary percussionist and frontwoman who headlined the festival, has criticized promoters, she said, for allowing the show to continue before Sanders’ body was removed around 5 p.m.

“I would have never, never gotten onstage if I would have known that her body was still sitting there with her family surrounding her,” Sheila E. said in video statement after the festival. “Production, whoever, the city, the mayor was there. All of you guys should have stopped the festival. I’m sorry. You should have stopped the festival.”

The drummer said she was distressed by the paucity of water stations available, and feared the triple-digit heat was a risk for fans.

“We heard that … there was only one water station, which was unfortunate because there was just not enough water for everyone,” she said. “Carson, you guys have to do better. This was horrible. Horrible. And I’m so sorry that I played because I would not have gotten onstage knowing that she was still there.”

NORTH West was seen towering over her glam step-mum Bianca Censori, as they made a rare family appearance with Kanye West at a festival.

The rapper, 49, shares his eldest child, 13, along with Saint, 10, Chicago, eight, and Psalm, seven, with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, 45.

The teenage reality star, who is famed for her family’s show The Kardashians, stepped out at ComplexCon with her famous dad and his wife.

Arriving at the Los Angeles Convention Centre for the event, and flanked by a 10-strong security team, the trio looked happy and relaxed.

With her striking blue hair and full face of heavy make-up, North looked older than her 13 years, as she towered over her step mum Bianca Censori, 31.

The young star’s dad’s wife also looked glam and was wearing a lot more clothes for the occasion than she usually does.

Read More about Kardashians

all by herself

Kim Kardashian was ‘single for 5 years’ as she ‘healed’ from Kanye marriage

double take

Kris Jenner, 70, looks ‘EXACTLY’ like daughter Kim Kardashian in new photos

The trio’s appearance came after North’s mum Kim spoke about her concerns over her kids growing up in the spotlight – particularly North

The reality queen’s eldest is currently riding high as a TikTok star, and is also following in her father Kanye West‘s footsteps by forging a music career.

Speaking to the Sunday Times in the US, mum-of-four Kim, who is dating F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton, 41, said: “I do worry about it. Each kid does what they’re comfortable with.

“So, my little ones come around when I’m filming but they don’t really do storylines.

“North loves it a little bit more than the rest. I hold her back.

“All she wants to do is forward-facing projects.

“And so it’s like us really kind of trying to savour those moments and not doing everything that comes her way, so we can really make sure that we manage it the right way.”