02/12/2025
🎅🏻🤩. FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 2025 🤩🎅🏻
🔴Two Castles CDA & Newtownstewart Centre 2000 are absolutely delighted by the large number of people who turned out to support the ‘Festival of Lights’ on Sunday despite the cold & wet weather conditions. 🥶☔️ The weather impacted hugely on construction & on many of the activities that we planned to offer. Thank you all for your patience & understanding. 👏
🟢An event like this doesn’t happen without the support of a large number of people who we quite simply could not do without.
🟡Special thanks to each of our local business sponsors who reached out in such challenging times & to Derry & Strabane District Council for their financial support. Thanks also to SSE who funded the new marquee. Events of this size cannot happen without significant financial input. Thank you all. 👏🎅🏻🎄
🟣Thanks also to all the local people, businesses & clubs who offered support through designing posters, providing equipment, vehicles, premises or power. We appreciate it all. 👏
🔺Gerard Mc Namee
🔺Rosemary Devine
🔺Sean Mc Namee
🔺Patrick Durey
🔺CR Signs
🔺Danny Millar
🔺Newtownstewart Livestock Mart.
🔺Ultra
🔺Damian Coyle
🟡As with every event there is a team of volunteers who we simply could not operate without & who we could never thank enough for their generosity & willingness to help. 😍
🔺The Construction Crew,
A very special thank you to
Gerard & Barry Mc Namee & Shauneen Kilpatrick for creating the fabulous Polar Express that was this year’s convoy highlight. A brilliant addition that required many hours of work. Not finished with that they also created the two new Santa chairs adorning the igloo & the Lights switch on box. Incredible work! 🤩👏🛷🤩
Thanks also to Shane Kilpatrick, Liam Patton, Aileen Mc Cay & Roisin Devine, Arnold & Jason Beattie who were a great help in supporting the team in constructing the floats. Thanks to Tony Conway for sorting the Christmas trees. 👏
Building marquees in the wind & rain poses a significant, timely & heavy physical challenge. We are truely indebted to the following people who persevered in the freezing conditions & lashing rain from 7am in the morning & after a long day to safely deconstruct the event. Gerard, Barry , Shane & Stephen McNamee, Caolan Travers, John & Kevin Gallagher, Chris Jones, Shane & Shauneen Kilpatrick, Aileen Mc Cay, Roisin Devine , Tony Conway & Jason Beattie. Thank you all for persevering. 👏
🔺The Stewards.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers from Naomh Eoghan GAA, Two Castles Olympic Boxing Club, Padraig Doherty & all who assisted with the huge task of stewarding the event & keeping everyone safe.. 👏
Also to Ian Davis, Colin Mc Clelland & Alastair Colhoun on motorbikes overseeing the Truck & Tractor Run. Thank you all.👏
🔺Registration
Thanks also to Grainne Gallagher, Noelle Gallagher, Ella Mc Sorley, Chloe Orr, Chloe Patton & Ava Mc Conomyfor overseeing the truck & tractor registrations . 👏
🔺The Background Team.
Thanks as always to Kevin Gallagher & Rosemary Connolly for all their assistance sourcing supplies & printing 👏
🔺The Creative Team.
A special word of thanks must go to Ciara Nc Nulty for the wonderful balloon tree that adorned Santa’s igloo. 👏🌲
🔺Thanks also to the lovely Bernie Maguire & Shane Kilpatrick who were superb in their roles as Mrs Claus & the main man himself Santa Claus. 🎁 👏
🔺Huge thanks to all the float characters. 👏
Elves Aileen Mc Cay, Roisin Devine, Cassie Molloy & Shea Molloy . Special mention to Shea for playing the elf as we toured the businesses on Friday . 🤩
Shane McNamee as Peppermint the Elf & Jason Beattie as the Grinch who performed their roles perfectly despite the cold & wet conditions on tour of all the villages. 👏
Thanks also to William Devine playing the gingerbread man. Great job William. 👏
🔺The Entertainment Team.
Thanks to our musical entertainment DJ Hammy B & Mr Men for the musical entertainment . 💃
Thanks also to Wee Bugs & Beasties, Vicky the fire performer, the Magic Elf and the Circus Elves from In your Space Circus for all the street entertainment, Timmy Burns for the funfair & Alisdare Moran as the Mummer. 👏
🔺Float Lorries.
A very special word of appreciation must go 4 local businesses who are a huge support to the ‘Festival of Lights’ & to whom we are truly indebted. 🤗👏
Thanks so much to Arnold & Jason Beattie from Beatties Transport, to Tony Gallagher from TG Trans, Shane & Karen Molloy & Sean McNamee who provided their lorries & trailers for 3 days to host our magical floats👏🚚🚛
🔴Huge thanks to all the truck & tractor drivers who turned out to support our ‘Festival of Lights’ convoy. What a truly unforgettable sight it is to see all those vehicles lighting up the countryside. 🤩🚚🚛🚜 Thank you all for taking part. 👏Best decorated vehicle winners will be announced later in the week.
Not to forget our Junior truck & tractor drivers who brought the street to standstill as they paraded their lighted vehicles to meet the convoy. An absolute highlight of the show. 🤩👏🚜😍
🟢A special word of appreciation to Chief Constable Bernie Fleming & our local community PSNI officers who were really helpful in the planning stages of the event. Thank you also to the PSNI in attendance👏
🔴Thanks also to the Newtownstewart Fire Brigade who very kindly escorted Santa & Mrs Claus from the igloo to the Polar Express. 👏
🟣Not to forget Katie-Marie Mayse & Zara McAuley for first aid cover at the event. Thanks girls. 👏
🔴Thanks also to the Mayor of Derry & Strabane District Council Ruairi Mc Hugh for assisting Santa with the Christmas lights switch on and to Jacqueline Whoriskey from Community Festivals for being in attendance.
🟢A word of thanks also to all the crafters who filled the marquees with their lovely products & gave us plenty of Christmas shopping ideas. Thank you all. 👏
🔴A huge thank you to Andrew at Emerald Fireworks for overseeing the firework display . An incredible display that was appreciated by everyone despite the cold. 👏
🟣Thanks to Greentown traffic management company for overseeing the road closures so effectively. & keeping everyone safe.
🟢Last but my no means least…….
A huge thank you to each & every one of the members of Two Castles CDA who dedicated many hours to bring this together. 🤩
From Two Castles CDA …Shauneen Kilpatrick, John Gallagher, Ciara Conway, Gerard Mc Namee, Shane Kilpatrick, Karen Molloy, Chris Jones & Tony Conway👏
Special mention to Gerard Mc Namee for mastering the marquee & sorting out many issues throughout the course of the day. We quite simply could not do it without you. 👏
A great team of people supported by wonderful volunteers who went above & beyond in very challenging conditions. Thank you all . 👏
🔴A final word of thanks to everyone, young & old who visited the ‘ Festival of Lights’ & who lined the convoy route waving & flashing lights in support in the awful weather conditions. 🥶☔️Newtownstewart is truly blessed with great community spirit. Thank you all.
🟡Wishing you all a lovely Christmas. 🧑🎄
Apologies if we have overlooked anyone.
