THOUSANDS of people gathered in Paisley on Thursday evening as the Halloween Festival 2023 got underway.
The festival, which is one of the biggest of its kind in the UK, started at 5pm, with large crowds gathering for the annual spooktacular.
The town centre was turned into a gothic playground with specially created installations, sensational street performers, and aerial acrobats set against the stunning backdrop of Paisley Abbey.
The free-to-attend event will continue on Friday and Saturday, from 5pm to 9pm each night, with the same programme of performers, including festival favourites such as Spark! LED Drummers and the flame-throwing PyroCeltica.
There is also a Halloween Trail Zone with an interactive fire show, a bat cave and a raven's realm as a walk-through one-way system around the outside of the Abbey, a haunted funfair, street food and a toast-your-own marshmallow pit.
The Halloween Festival 2023 is staged by Renfrewshire Council in partnership with circus performance specialists Cirque Bijou and supported by EventScotland.
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