Thousands of visitors enjoyed an “Out of this World” experience as Hallowe’en celebrations returned to Renfrewshire.

More than 17,000 flocked to Paisley for a free, immersive trail of intergalactic installations and light displays around some of the town’s most famous buildings.

The extravaganza, which was delivered by Renfrewshire Council and curated by sustainable, not-for-profit creative contractor, Cirque Bijou, took place across five nights from Thursday, October 28 to Monday, November 1.

Paisley Hallowe'en Festival presents Out of this World also formed part of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 celebrations, with the area beside the town’s White Cart River becoming a centrepiece attraction for locals and visitors.

Pauline Allan, events manager for the council, told the Gazette: “It’s been fantastic to welcome so many visitors to our Halloween celebrations in Paisley once again, as they were greatly missed by all last year.

“The festival is one of the highlights in our events calendar and has really cemented the town’s position as a key destination in Scotland for Halloween.

“We’re delighted to see such a positive reaction to this year’s five-day Out of this World spectacular and we’d like to thank everyone who came along and enjoyed the festival, as well as all of the talented artists involved for making it such a huge success.”

An eye-catching sight on the trail was an enormous Creature from the Cart bursting out from the front of Paisley Town Hall.

Visitors were also left dazzled by the ‘Nova’ and ‘Ursula Lassos the Moon’ sculptures, with many taking the time to capture selfies and photos.

‘Orionids’, meanwhile, echoed the beauty of a meteor shower across the river, creating a stunning, luminous effect on the water.

Young people’s dreams for the future of the planet were showcased on the spectacular Earthship1 installation, which featured lighting, music and hopeful messages and artworks created by youth and community groups across Renfrewshire.

Julian Bracey, Artistic Director of Cirque Bijou, said: " It’s been a massive team effort between the Cirque Bijou crew, Renfrewshire Council and the many local people involved.

“We’ve loved working with young people and community groups in the area to be part of the creative process and their contributions towards the artworks and installations have made the whole event really special.”