High-Visibility Clothing Urged for Final Weekend of Leap Scarecrow Festival
Final weekend at Leap Scarecrow Festival: wear high-viz or bright clothing so drivers can spot you among the displays, especially after dark.
Visitors heading to Leap this weekend for the final days of the village's 10th anniversary Scarecrow Festival are being asked to wear high-visibility clothing to ensure they remain visible to traffic among the displays.
The appeal comes from local resident Karen, who highlighted the difficulty in distinguishing between people and scarecrows in low light conditions. With the festival running until tomorrow, November 1st, organisers are encouraging visitors to wear bright or reflective clothing, particularly as darkness falls earlier at this time of year.
Karen, local resident:
"Nights like tonight, it's hard to differentiate between people and the scarecrows. Anyone heading to Leap for the scarecrow festival this weekend should wear high-viz or something that is visible to traffic."
The Leap Scarecrow Festival, founded by local resident Rita Ryan in 2015, has grown from a small community celebration into a major Halloween attraction drawing visitors from across Munster and Ireland. Now in its 10th year, the festival has seen scarecrows lining the streets since October 20th, with indoor events taking place throughout the fortnight.
The West Cork village has featured on RTÉ and in national newspapers for its creative and often humorous scarecrow displays, which increase in number each year. However, with crowds moving between exhibits in darkness, the simple precaution of wearing visible clothing could prevent accidents.
The safety advice extends beyond the festival to all Halloween activities tonight, with families encouraged to ensure children wear reflective or brightly coloured clothing when out trick-or-treating.
