It’s that time of year again, when residents transform ordinary pumpkins into flickering, spooky faces.

Children across Bolton will head out in search of tasty treats, dressed up in their scariest Halloween costumes.

As bonfire smoke fills the sky, families will mark the occasion by drawing on old traditions to ward off ghosts.

Several spooky events are taking place across Bolton to celebrate the event.

Bolton Museum is hosting an array of festivities throughout Halloween weekend. A Mummy Tour and Film night will take place on Friday, October 29, which will include an after-hours tour of the Egypt galleries and tomb, followed by a screening of The Mummy in an art deco lecture theatre. Tickets for the event cost £5 and are available online.

Smithills Hall will be transformed into a spooky venue for a Halloween party on October 30. Guests can expect a fun-filled day with entertainment, a disco and face painting stalls. Child tickets can be purchased online for £5 and accompanying adults can go free.

For those looking for an evening of suspense, Bolton Library is also hosting a murder mystery evening on October 30. Attendees will have to solve puzzling clues while skeletons rumble from the old closets. Tickets are priced at £20, which includes a welcome drink and a pasty.

A haunted tour of Smithills Hall will also take place on October 31. Thrill seekers can expect to feel the ghostly presence of the hall’s past residents. Tickets are available online and can be purchased for £5.

The Trafford Centre will also be transformed into a spooky Halloween venue with the return of Spookfest. Those brave enough can take a ride on the ghastly ghost train, navigate their way through the haunted maze and take on the challenge of the escape room.

Several independent food and drink stalls will be available at the event, which will run every day until October 31.

Zoe Inman, centre director, said: “This promises some frightful fun for grown-up thrill seekers and little monsters.”