Ghosts, ghouls and ghastly sights will once again fill the streets of Ayr town centre this October as Tamfest returns live for another stellar line-up of events.
The annual ‘Burns meets Halloween’ festival, which has been running since 2015, promises to be “bigger than ever” with organisers pulling out all the stops to build on the last live event’s success in 2019, which attracted huge crowds.
The previous two years went virtual due to the pandemic – swapping a usually-packed Ayr High Street to computer screens as the festival went online.
But this year, high-impact events will be taking place across the whole of October at Ayr’s Rozelle Park, as well as a wide range of fringe events.
‘Haunted houses’, escape rooms, art exhibitions, a wide variety of street entertainment, guided tours, ghost hunting, children’s zones, markets, plus three live music stages are all on the bill.
The main festival takes place on Sunday, October 30, with a creative and talent zone in the heart of Ayr town centre, featuring magic shows, puppet workshops, and face painters.
‘The Devil’s Stage’ will be back, High Street entertainers out in force, and a new ‘Carnevil Stage’ has also been added for 2022.
Councillor Alec Clark, South Ayrshire Council’s tourism and rural affairs supremo, said: “I’m delighted that Tamfest is taking place in person again this year.
“It is a key annual event which I know many residents and visitors will be looking forward to, following the virtual events of the last few years.
“Town centres really need these types of events to encourage footfall back into the area and to remind people of the fantastic businesses we have right here on our doorstep.”
Organisers are inviting local retailers and hospitality providers to get involved and to think of ways they could celebrate Ayrshire’s own Tam o’ Shanter and benefit from an expected boost to trade at the same time.
Plans are also underway to design Tamfest merchandise which could be sold in local shops.
Festival director Meredith McCrindle said: “Halloween is a gift for merchandising, dressing up and creating everything from Halloween cakes to T-shirts.
“Our vision is for Ayrshire to take its own twist on that through the addition of our very local Halloween story, Tam o’ Shanter.
“Anyone who wants to get involved should visit www.tamfest.co.uk – let’s make the triumphant return of the live event bigger than ever this year.”
Councillor Bob Pollock, the council’s portfolio holder for economic development, added: “High streets continue to face many challenges, and events like Tamfest provide essential, additional motivation for people to get off their devices, leave home and have a great time with others from their local community.
“I really hope local businesses will seek ways to get involved and make this year’s celebration the best yet.”
Visit www.tamfest.co.uk for more.
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