The Dragon of Shandon is a nighttime parade held annually at Halloween (31 October) in Cork, Ireland. It begins shortly after dark to facilitate child spectators and participants, and proceeds from Shandon to the city centre. The parade celebrates the Gaelic festival of

Samhain Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...

and also has participants from immigrant communities with similar traditions such as

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. The parade features musicians, dancers, costumed groups, and giant puppets, culminating with the eponymous dragon, a skeleton which breathes smoke. The parade is organised by Cork Community Art Link (CCAL), which coordinates participation by various community and arts groups from Shandon and surrounding neighbourhoods. The first Dragon of Shandon parade was held in 2006. The original dragon was made of cardboard, whereas the current one is made of tape. In 2019, CCAL contributed to a

Louisiana Voodoo Louisiana Voodoo (french: Vaudou louisianais, es, Vudú de Luisiana), also known as New Orleans Voodoo, is an African diasporic religion which originated in Louisiana, now in the southern United States. It arose through a process of syncreti ...

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parade which opened the Cork Jazz Festival the week before the Dragon of Shandon parade. The parade receives some funding from

Cork City Council Cork City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Chorcaí) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Cork in Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Prior to the enactment of the 2001 Act, t ...

but mainly relies on voluntary donations and labour. In 2018 and 2022, there were fears of a funding shortfall, partly from the cost of storing the increasing collection of

float Float may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Albums * ''Float'' (Aesop Rock album), 2000 * ''Float'' (Flogging Molly album), 2008 * ''Float'' (Styles P album), 2013 Songs * "Float" (Tim and the Glory Boys song), 2022 * "Float", by Bush ...

s and costumes between parades; some were on display in Blackpool Shopping Centre and

Cork Airport Cork Airport ( ga, Aerfort Chorcaí, ) is the second-largest of the three principal international airports in Ireland, after Dublin and ahead of Shannon. It is located in Cork City, south of the city centre in an area known as Farmers Cros ...

in the buildup. The parade returned in 2022 after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

External links

* {{official, http://www.dragonofshandon.com/ Festivals in Ireland Annual events in Ireland Autumn events in the Republic of Ireland Halloween events Culture in Cork (city) Parades in Ireland Sculptures of dragons Fictional skeletons 2006 establishments in Ireland Recurring events established in 2006