(Image: Jamie Simpson)
Paisley is getting ready for the spookiest event of the year, with the free-to-attend Halloween Festival welcoming visitors for two days of spectacular entertainment. The festival takes place today (Friday, October 23) from 4pm and Saturday, October 24, from 2pm.
This year, visitors are invited to step into a Haunted House-themed celebration, with a Haunted House float leading the parade. Travelling through Paisley town centre from 7pm each evening, the parade will see the return of favourites including Uncle Doom and his Organ of Gloom, and Spark! LED Drummers.
First attracting around 7000 visitors, the festival has grown into one of Scotland’s major Halloween attractions, drawing around 50,000 visitors annually from Renfrewshire and beyond.
Behind the spectacle is a team of event specialists. In April 2026, Renfrewshire Council awarded Cirque Bijou, which has worked on the festival since 2019, a three-year contract worth £524,845, excluding VAT, to deliver the parade and town-centre entertainment. Of that amount, £170,000 is allocated to this year’s event. Lighting experts Woodroffe Bassett Design are also involved in bringing the festival to life.
Paisley Halloween Festival (Image: Jamie Simpson)
A huge Frankenstein’s monster puppet will walk through the town, trying to make friends with visitors. There will be no escaping the scares, with something spooky waiting around every corner, from a giant spider and terrifying monsters taking over the streets to giant snakes slithering between the Town Hall columns. Wherever you turn, another creature will be waiting to emerge from the shadows.
Paisley Abbey will once again be transformed by a spectacular light show, with eerie eyes watching and bats swooping across its sandstone walls.
Go Radio’s presenter Zoe Kelly will host pre-parade entertainment including performances from Pete Anderson Unstable Acts and a danger-fuelled street show from Missy Impossible.
The programme will run from 4pm to 6.45pm on Friday and from 2pm to 6.45pm on Saturday, bringing together local dance groups and choirs with professional artists.
New to the Paisley stage, Granny Turismo will perform its playful shopping-trolley dance act. The Show Globe will also feature with its interactive performances, Mystic Mirror and Sea Sphere, while Ember the Dragon will make a fiery appearance.
The programme will also feature the Grim Visions Fire Show, Axels Street Magic, the Brad & Vlad Vampires, and musical performances from Erin Hephzibah, Graeme Kerr and Anya Vincent.
Paisley Halloween Festival (Image: Jamie Simpson)
The festival is not only about professional performers; it also gives local communities the chance to take part. According to Suzi Maciver, commissioning and creative events lead at Renfrewshire Council, last year 25 community groups took part in pre-parade workshops, with more than 400 people joining the procession across the two nights. The programme has also created more than 7000 participation opportunities across the region, including for care-experienced young people and people from areas of deprivation.
This year, local dance groups and choirs will once again be part of the celebrations, performing alongside professional artists as part of the pre-parade entertainment.
For those with tickets, grandstand seating on Cotton Street will offer a covered space to watch the parade. Ticket holders will also receive a complimentary hot drink and baked treat, with pre-parade entertainment included. Tickets were priced at £15 per person, with tickets for a group of four at £54.
In between the performances and checking out the spooky sights, visitors can enjoy family-friendly rides and attractions at the Lagoon area and East End Park.
For every hungry monster, the Big Feed Night Market will also return to Bridge Street car park on both dates, serving up a tempting mix of food and drink to keep the ghouls and goblins fuelled for more Halloween fun.