Dufftown played host to colourful Yuletide antics yesterday when 150 festive revellers dressed up as Father Christmas and ran through the streets.
The Santa run is a tradition, entwined with the community’s annual Christmas lights celebrations, and regularly attracts a crowd of onlookers into the town centre before the switch-on.
Participants had the option of completing a dash of either two kilometres, which is about a mile, or five kilometres, just over three miles.
Candice Geddes was one of the six women who have spent the past several months preparing for the Dufftown Christmas Spectacular.
And, last night, she said: “We had about 105 people who completed the 5k run and 45 who did the 2k, which we were delighted with.
“Last year, we had terrible weather, with sleet and snow, so we were glad it was comparatively lovely this time.
“All of our Santa runners were in good spirits, they were up for having a nice time.
“This really is the start of Christmas for Dufftown, and there was a festive mood in the air.”
Balvenie Street was the setting for a Christmas fair throughout the afternoon, and a stage was created where musicians could entertain the public who attended.
This year’s switch-on event had a superhero theme and a costumed Batman, Spiderman and Power Ranger pressed the button to illuminate the decorations.
The Footerin’ Aboot ceilidh band also helped the crowd celebrate the launch of the festive period with a lively performance.
Residents congregated for a huge Strip The Willow dance as they basked in the lights’ festive glow.
Money collected during the event will be used by the Dufftown and District Community Association to fund various projects in the town.
