There was twice as much Christmas cheer in a Lanarkshire town centre at the weekend as locals turned out in their droves for a festive spectacular.
Due to high winds last Saturday, the Hamilton Christmas lights switch-on event had to be postponed to December 3.
It meant the dazzling display was set to take place immediately after the reindeer parade scheduled for Saturday.
An estimated 6000-7000 people lined the streets for the celebrations as the festivities got underway.
The day was full of live entertainment, lots of activities and games for the youngsters, as well as the ever-popular Christmas food and drink markets on Quarry Street.
The switch-on was hosted by Lanarkshire drag queen Garry King who introduced this year's special guest to push the button.
Turning on this year's festive lights in the town was the winner of the recently-run Hamilton Hero competition which recognises local people who have gone above and beyond for their community.
Nominated this year was Mandy Ballantyne who raises money every day for vulnerable families in need all year round. She does this daily through bonus ball raffles and also Facebook appeals.
The award was presented by Jodi Robertson from the Regent Shopping Centre. And prizes were kindly donated by the Regent Shopping Centre and Hamilton Park Racecourse.
As the winner, Mandy received £100 in vouchers to spend at the Regent Shopping Centre and a special ‘Premier 10’ membership package for Hamilton Park Racecourse, including Admission to all 10 premier race meetings (ticket value £292).
In the afternoon, locals cheered as Santa arrived in town during the parade as he was led in to the streets by his reindeer.
Commenting on a very successful day with an impressive turnout, Hamilton Our Town manager Malcolm Thomas-Harley told Lanarkshire Live : "It was huge, the crowds were absolutely amazing. They were lining the streets for the parade. We've never seen anything like it.
"After moving the first event from last week, it was doubly special. We know that 5000 extra people were in the shopping centre last week for the indoor event, and there was definitely more than that on Saturday.
"It gave a lot of the businesses an uplift, it's been a great thing for the town and the community. It shows there is a real appetite for these community-type events, and we hope that we can continue this in 2023."
Next up in Hamilton's Christmas celebrations is the Christmas Gala which takes place on Saturday, December 17.
Taking place the weekend before Christmas, locals are invited to join in the celebrations in the town, with plenty of vendors on hand at the Christmas stalls, food and drink markets, and lots more.
Live music, entertainment and free activities will all be on show for everyone to enjoy on the day, running from 10am to 4pm.
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