Thousands of people congregated at Elgin’s Cooper Park for the annual bonfire night celebrations on Saturday.
And the pyrotechnic show was subsequently hailed as the “best one yet” in the town.
The Rotary Club display trumped the weather with families arriving in plenty of time to watch the towering stack of wooden pallets being set alight at 6.30pm.
Out of the Darkness Theatre Company made the totemic Guy and were the catalysts for their creation bursting into flames.
Red tubes, resembling sticks of dynamite, which were strapped to the character, did not last long after the fire reached his cape.
Fanned by a chill wind, the blaze spiralled up into the dark sky while burning embers were blown throughout the park. The packed crowd of 5,000 was kept warm as the gusts blew hot air across the audience from the fire.
Excited children played with glowing swords as they eagerly anticipated the spectacular pyrotechnic show.
Organisers led the crowd in a countdown as pupils from New Elgin Primary School pushed the button to light the fuse on the fireworks.
Rockets immediately shot into the air from either side of the park creating an archway of colour and sparkles.
The dazzling light from the explosions revealed the size of the crowd who were enjoying the 15-minute display with people also watching across the River Lossie in Bishopmill.
Bright yellow bursts were common throughout the Moray Firth Fireworks festivities to fit with the theme of sunflowers.
A well-orchestrated sequence of rockets careered into the air in quick succession at the climax when the park was emblazoned in golden light.
During the evening, organisers collected donations from the crowd to raise funds for next year’s display.
And Elgin Rotary Club member Michelle Anderson said: “The feedback we’ve received has been that it was the best one yet. It was fantastic.
“The weather held out for us, which was good, particularly as there were a few big ones [firework displays] called off.
“It’s probably one of the biggest crowds we’ve had too. It’s hard to tell how many were there, but it was about 5,000.”
