Approximately 150 Apprentice Boys paraded along Derry's historic walls. The parade began at about 9.30 am on Saturday, 19 October. The beginning of the parade, part of which passes through the nationalist Bogside area of the city, was peacefully confronted by a large gathering of Bogside residents protesting at the fact that the parade was taking place against the wishes of the Bogside residents and without any attempt at negotiations. Two leading members of the Bogside Residents' Group, chairman Charles Lamberton and spokesperson Donncha Mac Niallais were allowed onto the walls and were then bundled away by the RUC when they refused to move. The RUC had mounted a strong security presence, sealing off those parts of the walls which pass through the Bogside. The British army had also constructed screens to prevent the Apprentice Boys from seeing the Bogside area. As the Apprentice Boys paraded, led by a man flying a large union jack, they were met with angry taunts by Bogside residents.
Some empty glasses and a firecracker were thrown at the Apprentice Boys but there have been no reports of any other incidents.
In a statement issued by Robin Percival of the Pat Finucane Centre, he said that "the intervention of John Hume over the issue of this parade has done serious damage to the cause of the Bogside Residents' Group as well as the residents in the Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast and Garvaghy Road, Portadown. John Hume's use of the same arguments that David Trimble, the leader of the Ulster Unionist party, uses to defend the Apprentice Boys right to parade in an area where they are not wanted, that it was only local Derry men and the parade would only last twenty minutes is seen by many as a public rebuke by the leader of the SDLP of all the residents groups who have tried to prevent Orange and Loyalist parades being inflicted on them during a marching season which seems to get longer each year.
In the event it seems that many of the Apprentice Boys decided to stay at home. During the negotiations in the summer the leaders of the Apprentice Boys claimed that they had 400 local members. By this weekend that number had dropped dramatically to about 200. Hours before the parade started DUP councillor William Hay, a leading member of the Apprentice Boys said that there would be less that 200. In the event there were little more than 100 Apprentice Boys parading. Many had apparently decided to stay at home."