The milestone 10th anniversary of Paisley Halloween Festival will see some exciting event changes with the return of the much-loved parade through the town centre.
The festival, which is expected to bring thousands of people to Paisley town centre, will take place on Friday 25 October from 4pm – 9pm and Saturday 26 October from 2pm – 9pm with the whole town geared-up for some frightful Halloween fun.
The centrepiece of the event, a spectacular, 300-strong parade will wind through the centre of the town each night starting at 7pm. It will feature professional performers, festival favourites including PyroCeltica and Spark! LED Drummers alongside community groups from the local area.
There will be more places to watch the spooky sights, with the new town centre route taking in Mill Street for the first time.
Expect to see a ghostly pirate ship, glowing jellyfish, towering puppets, bubble-blowing witches, cowboy zombies, stilt-walking trees and loads more in the parade.
In another change to the event the popular funfair will be relocated to the Lagoon Car Park and East End Park offering plenty of opportunities to keep the kiddies entertained in the build up to the parade.
As the town gets in to the spooky spirit for the evening parade, for those wanting to join in the fun but not able to stay for the main event there is plenty of daytime entertainment to enjoy from 4pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday. There will be live performances on the stage at Bridge Street and at the County Square and eerie lighting displays on some of the town’s most iconic buildings.
Paisley Central Library on the High Street will be running Halloween arts and crafts sessions while The Art Department will have free spooky lantern making workshops. There will also be marshmallow pits and a devilish selection of street food options.
It wouldn’t be Halloween without surprise installations dotted all around town to help create that spooky atmosphere. Look out for the Flaming Gargoyle, the Ghost Ship, Giant Witch and bubbling cauldron to name a few.
In addition to the programme of activity taking place across the town centre local businesses and partners in Paisley are also putting on Halloween-inspired activities for visitors.
Pauline Allan, events manager at Renfrewshire Council, said: “What better way to celebrate 10 years of Paisley Halloween Festival than to change up the programme and see the triumphant return of the much-loved parade.
“We’ve not had a parade as part of the programme since 2019 and this year more people will have the chance to watch it as we’ve expanded the parade route onto Mill Street for the very first time.
“The return of the parade is not just an exciting thing for visitors, it will also showcase Renfrewshire’s vibrant grassroots cultural scene by providing more than 1,000 opportunities for local people to get involved and participate.
“Paisley Halloween Festival is one of the most popular events in our calendar that not only offers a great experience for visitors but brings significant economic boost to the area. I’m really delighted to see so many local businesses and partners get involved with this year’s event by staying open late or putting on their own events for visitors. It’s shaping up to be a spectacular event!”
The event is delivered by Renfrewshire Council in partnership with performance specialists Cirque Bijou, lighting design by Grant Anderson and supported by EventScotland as part of their National Events Funding Programme.
Rebecca Edser, Head of EventScotland, said: “We are proud to support Paisley Halloween Festival on its landmark 10th anniversary. Each year, tens of thousands of people dare to be thrilled at this spectacular and it’s fantastic to hear that the high-energy parade will make a welcomed return. Community collaboration is very much at the core of this iconic festival, which highlights many of Scotland’s perfect stage assets, not least our people and our culture.”
For more information on the festival tickets or find out about other spooky happenings taking place in businesses around town please visit: www.paisley.is/halloween.
The event is free to attend with lots of great spots across the town centre to view the parade but a new addition this year will see a small number of ticketed grandstand seats available offering a fantastic view of the parade on Cotton Street in the town centre.
There are only a small number of tickets available for each night so book quickly if you want to a seat.
To book tickets for the grandstand seating, costing £15, visit: www.universe.com/paisleyhalloweenfestival2024grandstandseating.