City all set to host a spooky spectacular
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Members of the public have been advised to be wary of an influx of zombies in Inverness this weekend.
The living dead are set to visit the Highland capital today and tomorrow as part of the city’s annual Hallowe’en celebrations.
The ZombieNess celebrations will get under way with a "people hunt" tonight, with the zombies due to emerge from the Victorian Market at around 7pm.
That will be followed by a second hunt tomorrow at 1pm.
Organisers are still on the lookout for volunteers who are willing to be transformed into zombies, and all those who are keen to take part are asked to register between 6pm and 6.45pm tonight or 12 noon and 12.45pm tomorrow.
Both of the hunts are expected to last two hours – unless the zombies prove adept at seeking out their prey.
A mass zombie dance has been arranged for the immediate aftermath of tonight’s event.
Participants will be asked to perform to Dead and Gone, a new track by rock group The Dead Daisies.
The group are scheduled to headline the first-ever Monstersfest in Inverness on November 10 and 11, and the video for their latest track, which already features zombies, has been viewed around one million times on the video-sharing site YouTube.
A film showing the Inverness zombies will be shown on both the band’s and Highland Council’s social media channels after the event.
After tomorrow’s hunt, the focus will switch to Ness Islands, where the Hallowe’en show will take place.
The performance, Nights of the Living Dead, features young performers from across the Highlands, who have also designed many of the scenes in the show.
It has been organised by a number of bodies, including Highland Council, Eden Court, Arts in Motion, Limelight Event Services and Fly Agaric.
The show invites families to discover what is hiding behind the bushes at the ever-popular Inverness beauty spot.
It will begin at 6.30pm tomorrow and runs for approximately two hours, with a second performance scheduled for 5.30pm on Sunday.
Councillor Callum Smith, of the Inverness Events and Festivals working group, said: "We are really looking forward to welcoming families to this year’s shows and we cannot wait to see all the children in their wonderful Halloween costumes.
"Every year it seems like more and more people are dressing up and helping us create something really unforgettable, and we cannot thank them enough for their support."
A number of traffic restrictons will be in place as a result of the events, and motorists are asked to park well away from the site to ease congestion:
Ness Walk closed northbound between Ballifeary Lane and Bught Road. Southbound traffic will be maintained.
Bught Road closed northbound between Ness Walk and Bught Avenue. Southbound traffic will be maintained.
Bught Road closed between Bught Avenue and the Highland Archive Centre. Access for parking will be controlled by the event organiser.
Bught Avenue closed to southbound traffic between its junction with Bught Lane and its junction with Bught Road. Northbound traffic will be maintained.
Alternative routes are available using Bught Road (Part), Bught Lane, Bught Drive, Bught Avenue, Glenurquhart Road, Bishop’s Road, Ness Walk (Part), Ballifeary Lane and Ballifeary Road.
