Halloween celebrated early in Scottish town

While most people in Scotland are making preparations for Halloween next week, residents of Kilmarnock are celebrating six days before everyone else.

Dubbed “Killieween” by locals, the East Ayrshire town has a tradition of celebrating Halloween on the last Friday of October no matter the date.

Historians do not know exactly when the tradition started or why.

Some believe it dates back to Halloween’s Gaelic origins, the festival of Samhain and burning witches on the last Friday before All Hallows’ Eve, while others say it is linked to Kilmarnock’s industrial past.

Historian Frank Beattie, who has lived in Kilmarnock since 1952, suggests the tradition goes back many decades and is linked to the history of the town as a centre for locomotive manufacturing and textiles.

He said: “Kilmarnock was an industrial town and men were paid on a Friday.

“Children knew that there was a better chance of getting something special on a Friday than on any other day of the week.”

Mr Beattie said Halloween was much different in those days, with expensive decorations and pumpkins being unheard of.

“When I was growing up in the late 1950s, early 1960s, it was not highly commercialised.

“We used tumshies (turnips) for lanterns and we had to earn a treat by telling a joke, singing a song or reciting a poem.”

Kilmarnock born and raised Necole Connell, 29, shared a video on TikTok describing the unique tradition to her 12.4k followers.

Having lived in the town her whole life, she says: “Killieween is all I know”.

Ms Connell describes the Halloween celebrations as a “much bigger deal” now than they used to be.

She recalls giving out 70 trick or treat bags to children out guising within half an hour one year.

Ms Connell said: “I always figured that everywhere celebrated Halloween on the same day as us because to me it makes so much sense that we celebrate it on a Friday night.

“Who wants to go trick or treating through the week then go to school the next day?

“Killieween, for me growing up, was your school disco on the Thursday night then dressing up for school on the Friday and trick or treating on the Friday night with all your friends.

“By 31 October, there’s no pumpkins, no costumes left in the stop, everything is done.”

Natalie Duncan, 35, who owns a barber shop in Kilmarnock, describes Halloween as “a big part” of her and her family’s life.

In 2019, she spent four months transforming her home into a house of horrors for Killieween to raise money for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

Now, she has outgrown the house and brought the celebrations and decorations into the community, saying the props wouldn’t all fit in her garden anymore.

She said: “I love Killieween as it gives people two Halloweens – one in the town and one out.

“My best memories are around bringing the kids in the community together as all the kids who come to my barber shop talk about the event and get so excited about what we have bought and made. “

Events this year will include Killieween’s Sinister Circus – a circus-themed trail with performers, acrobats and clowns – the Kilmarnock Halloween Running Festival and Kilmarnock Fire Station’s extravaganza, featuring live music, food and games.