A HALLOWEEN showpiece in Greenock has received an £8,000 'boo-st' thanks to tourism chiefs.

The annual Galoshans Festival has been awarded the money from EventScotland, part of national agency VisitScotland.

The event celebrates local Halloween traditions and the 2019 spectacle will also pay homage to Greenock great James Watt, to mark the bicentenary of the death of the world-famous scientist and engineer.

It will run from October 25-November 2 featuring various shows and live entertainment, including the popular street parade which ends with a party in Cathcart Square.

Karen Patton Orr, chief executive of event organisers RIG Arts, said: "We're delighted to be a part of the Galoshans consortium bringing Halloween home to Inverclyde through a socially-engaged arts festival. "Our area has such a rich cultural history and wealth of local artistic talent. "It's a fantastic opportunity to get creativity out into the streets and across Inverclyde. "As 2019 marks the bicentenary of the death of Greenock's famous inventor James Watt, this year's festival theme is based on 'innovation and light' in his honour."

Galoshans is run in partnership with Inverclyde Council and local venues including the Beacon.

This year will be the fifth instalment of the festival and it will feature an array of local and national performers, artists and entertainers with the aim of bringing high-quality exhibitions, theatre and live music to the heart of the community.

The £8,000 grant will go towards recruiting a marketing and outreach officer to help with the event.

Gordon Smith, regional director of VisitScotland, said: "Galoshans is a fantastic festival which taps into the area's unique history and heritage. "I'm delighted we were able to support the event and I look forward to the streets of Greenock once again coming to life with art, music and theatre as we celebrate Halloween.

"Scotland is the perfect stage and our national funded events play a fundamental role, not only in contributing to our diverse portfolio, but in increasing domestic tourism, and delivering real social and economic benefits to local communities across the country."

EventScotland made the grant from its £150,000 national programme fund to support cultural events outside the big two cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The deadline for the next round of funding is October 4.

For more information, visit www.eventscotland.org