Kids Halloween Lantern Making with Shauna McCann

What to Expect

Artist Shauna McCann runs a two hour Halloween lantern workshop for children at Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Friday 30 October 2026, starting at 11am and falling squarely in the half-term week. Each child builds a papier-mache lantern using dried leaves and other organic materials, then works coloured papers and dyes into the surface so no two finish the same.

The finished lanterns are fitted with battery-operated fairy lights rather than candles, which gives the autumnal glow the workshop is aiming for and keeps them safe for a child to carry. Shauna McCann notes they are for indoor use only. Because papier-mache needs drying time, the lanterns are not taken home at the end of the session: participants collect them once dry, so factor in a return trip to Strule. The workshop is for ages 6 and up.

Good to Know

• Date and time: Friday 30 October 2026, 11am
• Duration: two hours
• Venue: Strule Arts Centre, Townhall Square, Omagh
• Age range: 6 years and over
• Price: £25 per child
• Lanterns are lit with battery-operated fairy lights and are for indoor use only
• Finished lanterns are collected later once they have dried
• Booking: struleartscentre.co.uk or the box office on 028 8224 7831
• Papier-mache is messy work, so dress children accordingly

Getting There

Strule Arts Centre is on Townhall Square in Omagh town centre, beside the river Strule and a short walk from High Street. Omagh sits at the junction of the A5 Derry to Aughnacloy road and the A32 from Enniskillen, roughly 70 miles from Belfast, 34 from Derry and 27 from Enniskillen. Council car parks at Kevlin Road, Church Street and the Showgrounds are all within a few minutes on foot, which suits a mid-morning drop-off during half term. Omagh bus centre on Mountjoy Road is five minutes’ walk away with Ulsterbus and Translink Goldline services from Belfast, Derry, Enniskillen and Dublin.