Emma What to expect at Paisley Halloween Festival
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 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.
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 into 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.
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. Tickets are priced at £15 per person. You can purchase tickets from www.paisley.is. There are only a small number of tickets available to purchase for each night so book quickly if you want to bag your seat!
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.
