Pikachu, the Pokémon character, was outside the Clockwork Dragon this morning, along with the Town Crier.

Children arriving at the shop in costume received a Halloween goodie bag.

The Local Excellence Market was also on today. Martin’s Abingdon Calendar has all the dates of the Local Excellence Markets in 2027 marked.

The market had some Halloween items, including pumpkins and gourds. I was told that everywhere else in Abingdon had sold out.

There were also plenty of sweets, cakes and biscuits made to look scary for the occasion.

The loud fireworks in the town centre this evening made me wonder whether Halloween is no longer just about adopting the American tradition of dressing up, but also beginning to take over from the November 5th fireworks.

P.S. October Millstream pictures to follow soon.