Two of Moray’s main towns lit up for Christmas at the weekend with thousands turning out at events in Buckie and Elgin.
The Buckie Christmas Kracker saw a parade through the town being led by Coronation Street star Andy Whyment, who plays the role of Kirk Sutherland in the television soap.
Mr Whyment then threw the switch that lit up the town’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ theme – before guiding raffle winner Jan Paterson on a ‘trolley dash’ around the local Tesco superstore.
And estimated 2500 people are thought to have turned out for the event that included live music, a fairground, land train, fireworks and the winter wonderland itself.
Local building worker Jamie Stewart ushered his family through the event, saying: “It just gets better every year and it’s great that Buckie can organise something as special as this for Christmas.
“The kids absolutely love it – in particular the donkey and of course the reindeer adding a touch of authenticity to the day.”
Meanwhile several thousand turned out to see the lights switched on in Elgin, which followed a fun-packed day of market stalls, live entertainment and a parade led by Santa and several of his reindeer.
A spokeswoman for organisers Elgin Bid said: “We would like to thank everyone who came down for the event on Saturday and hope that they all enjoyed themselves as much as we did.”
The Christmas lights in Lossiemouth and Forres are set to be switched on this coming weekend.