Paisley’s popular Halloween celebrations are back for 2021 as Paisley Halloween Festival presents Out of this World – an illuminated trail of installations and light displays centred on the River Cart.
This year there is a twist on the annual festival’s usual format as the town centre will be transformed into an immersive ‘otherworldly’ experience with a series of spectacular displays concentrated around Paisley Abbey, Town Hall and the River Cart from Thursday 28 October until Monday 1 November – illuminated from 5pm-10pm for visitors to enjoy safely at a time that suits them.
It promises to be a real spectacle with an alien invasion, creatures from the deep and a constellation of stars providing some fun, free family entertainment. A series of artists have been commissioned to develop these stunning installations to help bring an unearthly experience to the town.
Paisley Halloween Festival is supported by EventScotland through Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 and Scotland’s Events Recovery Fund. As part of the celebrations of this year the area around the River Cart will be transformed into the centrepiece of the Out of this World experience.
There will not be a parade as this year’s celebrations will take a different format – but there’s plenty for people to enjoy in a safe way.
The river will become a must-visit spot on the trail as Mike Jones’ ‘Orionids’ installation will echo the breath-taking beauty of a meteor shower cascading across the Cart to create an enchanting web of light on the water.
One of the installations is being created by Studio Vertigo. The ‘Nova’ sculpture is based on the mystical Star of the East, which astronomers now believe was actually a nova. Visitors will be dazzled by the sight of this mighty new star. While ‘Ursula Lassos the Moon’ – created by the same artists – is a mysterious and enchanting structure which showcases the powerful heroic force and divine beauty of the Moon – offering a real spectacle for visitors to marvel at.
The trail is being delivered by Renfrewshire Council in partnership with sustainable, not-for-profit street theatre specialists, Cirque Bijou, who will help create a weird and wonderful experience that can be enjoyed by all.
The award-winning festival is widely regarded as one of the best events of its kind in the UK.
