Philipp Tanzer: ‘Durness Halloween fest is getting harder to organise’
The organiser of the Durness Halloween Festival has indicated that he is considering stepping back from the event due to family commitments.
Philipp Tanzer - aka ‘Mr Halloween’ - has been organising the festival for the past 10 years but said it was “definitely getting harder”.
He said: “I have a young family with two girls under the age of two, and balancing family life, work, and organising the event for the community is definitely getting harder. We will see what the future holds.”
Mr Tanzer, a talented artist, also said he was disappointed this year by the low turnout of local people for the festival which included a Halloween children’s party, adult evening dance, and the haunted house.
“People complain that nothing happens in the area yet when someone puts a lot of effort and money into organising an event, few locals show up,” he said.
However, he was pleased with the number of people from further afield who travelled to Durness for the festivities.
“There were a number of people at the party who had never been to our Halloween events before, and they were blown away by the decorations, and everyone seemed to have a great time,” he said.
It is often people from other villages who keep the events alive. I am sure other communities are experiencing the same thing.”
Mr Tanzer praised the creativity of the participants.
“We had some amazing costumes this year - the most realistic zombie make-up I’ve seen in years, great Peaky Blinders costumes, and lots of really funny ideas,” he said.
The first event of the festival was a pottery workshop run by Martina MacLeod, who runs Mudness Ceramics in Balnakeil Craft Village.
Adults and children alike enjoyed painting ceramic pumpkins, skulls, and candle holders to create lasting Halloween decorations that can be used year after year.
Around 50 children with their parents and grandparents attended the big family Halloween party at Durness Hall on Saturday, October 26.
There were monster themed games, competitions, amazing decorations, and - one of the biggest hits for the kids - a big bubble and fog machine, all of which made the party a huge success.
The intention was to open the infamous Haunted House of Durness - a spooky, interactive experience in the craft village - after the party.
Unfortunately, this had to be postponed, because the house was not quite ready. However, it opened its gates a few days later, terrifying kids and adults alike.
Older ghouls and zombies made their way to the village hall on the Saturday night for the annual Halloween dance. The resident band Blueridge rocked the hall until 2am.
