The historic heart of a Moray town will be transformed into a winter wonderland for the first time this Christmas.
Shoppers soaking up the atmosphere during the festive season will be able to glide onto an ice rink as part of the Elgin Ice Festival.
Professional skating displays from Dancing on Ice stars are also being lined up to add some sparkle.
Festival director Jon Behari coaches ice-skating at Elgin’s Caledonia Skate Club and was inspired to bring the outdoor rink to Moray after seeing the success of similar attractions across Scotland.
He said: “It happens in so many cities now. It’s a great way of bringing people into the centre and having people spend longer in the shops.
“There are already events organised around switching the Christmas lights on and they’re always really busy.
“We’re basically trying to create a winter wonderland. Elgin has such a beautiful centre and this will just add to it at Christmas.”
The event has already secured permission to set up the rink in the town centre, with a slab of ice created on tiles laid over the Plainstones.
Some funding has already been secured by local businesses, but a crowdfunding campaign has also been launched to cover the running costs.
However, organisers have insisted the Ice Festival will run from Saturday, December 17 to Saturday, January 7 regardless of how successful the appeal is.
The festival has already won the backing of the Moray Chamber of Commerce and Elgin’s business improvement district (Bid).
Gill Neil, manager of the Bid, said: “We think this is a great idea and will be a lovely addition to the festive season – anything to bring a bit extra to the town centre.
“It’s great that it’s going to happen over the school holidays so families can do a little bit extra. We’ll do anything we can to help out.”
Donations can be made to the crowdfunding campaign online by visiting:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/elginicefestival
