Visitors to Stirling enjoyed a fun-filled Halloween thanks to a series of spooktacular events organised by the Go Forth team.
The Guising Day, Halloween Trail and Light Show proved a big hit with families and business owners who dressed up, cast spells and brought some magic to the city streets. Businesses welcomed youngsters dressed as witches, wizards and goblins into their shops for tricks and treats and the events also included a Magic Wand Making Workshop and Halloween street performer Magic Merlin.
Meanwhile, an after-dark treat was in store on King Street when the Athenaeum was lit up with dazzling Halloween graphics in a spectacular light show. More than 2,000 people registered for the events, organised by Go Forth Stirling BID, with several hundred guisers visiting 31 participating businesses and the Go Forth offices which had been transformed into a Witches Workshop.
Footfall counters showed an increase of 34% in the city centre across the weekend – compared with the same weekend last year – with 53,773 visitors on the Saturday (October 26) and 30,966 on the Sunday (October 27). Meanwhile, 80% of respondents surveyed about the events said they discovered businesses they were unaware of thanks to their participation in the Halloween Trail.
Sophie Corbett, who runs the newly opened SRTD Vintage shop in Stirling Arcade, said Saturday’s events made her opening day extra special and helped spread awareness about her business. She said: “It was wonderful to have extra footfall on my opening day with lots of youngsters dressed up in Halloween costumes coming in with their families for the Guising Day.
Lots of the parents told me they planned to return for a proper look around the shop and were really interested in what I have to offer and it was good to get involved with the rest of the business community in an event so soon after starting my new venture.”
Lisa Davidson, who owns gift shop Tinkerbells Emporium on Friars Street, had around 230 guisers visiting her shop on the Saturday and sales were up by 30%. She said: “It was an enjoyable day with a fantastic collective community spirit surrounding all the events and we were pleased to get involved. The Friars Street businesses also hosted our annual pumpkin carving competition with Laura from Nevermore Tattoo Studio named as this year’s winner.”
Stirling resident Aisha Abdi enjoyed the Sunday evening Light Show with her husband Daniel Valles. She said: “I was so impressed with the Light Show – it was amazing and just fantastic to have something like this in Stirling. It was lovely to see so many children enjoying the projections which really brought King Street to life and I’d like to see more light show events in the city.”
The Go Forth Stirling team were delighted with the reception the events received. Events Co-ordinator Josie Brown said: “We’re thrilled with the success of the weekend which brought lots of extra visitors into Stirling and a chance for families to enjoy a weekend of fun. The feedback from participating businesses and families has been positive and it was good to hear that 80% of Trail participants who completed our survey said they had discovered businesses which were new to them while taking part.
Some said they didn’t usually venture outside of the Thistles and were pleased to find lots of lovely new shops and cafes while following the Trail. We’re grateful to everyone who got involved and especially want to thank all the participating businesses who helped make our Halloween events such a success.”
A total of 235 youngsters completed the Halloween Trail by finding hidden ingredients in local shops, collecting them and bringing them to the Go Forth office to cast a spell and receive a prize.
One family said: “My daughter did the Halloween trail during the week and loved it so much we came back to do it again on the Saturday alongside the guising trail. It was fantastic! Such a great idea for children and a wonderful way to meet local business owners.”
The Halloween Trail and dedicated events are among the many initiatives – aimed at boosting footfall and encouraging more visitors to come into the city centre – organised by Go Forth Stirling BID (Business Improvement District).
The organisation was set up in 2017 and currently represents more than 600 local businesses with a key objective of delivering projects and services which improve Stirling’s trading environment to benefit businesses, shoppers and visitors.
For more details visit www.goforthstirling.co.uk
