Once the festivities of Halloween are over, many people in Dundee start to look forward to Bonfire Night.
The annual celebration sees skies across Tayside light up with fireworks and flames.
In 1990, it was billed as “the night emergency services in Dundee dread the most”, but these days most Dundonians forgo DIY bonfires and instead enjoy the organised displays.
Unfortunately, due to ongoing concerns with Covid, the displays at Baxter and Lochee parks that usually attract thousands of spectators aren’t going ahead this year.
For those who can’t make it to other events in Fife and Tayside, we’ve dug out some archive photos of displays in years gone by.
These children had front-row seats for the spectacular bonfire at Lochee Park on Bonfire Night in 1976.
It was one of the few events that year in Dundee that had a bonfire – council cuts saw the number of bonfires reduced across the city.
However, there were still plenty of fireworks displays to keep the crowds, young and old, entertained.
Although the fireworks dazzled and delighted, it was the huge bonfire at Lochee Park that year that proved to be the real crowd-pleaser.
With duffle coats done up to the neck, it was clearly a chilly night as youngsters cosied up to the bonfire.
The bonfire roared spectacularly at Lochee Park in 1980 before settling into a glowing pyramid that attracted plenty of onlookers.
Bonfire night went off without a hitch in Dundee that year as the council spent thousands of pounds on fireworks to entertain the masses.
There was a decent turnout for the bonfire at Baxter Park in 1984, above.
In addition to that display, during the 80s, the council put on another four each year at Broughty Ferry, Finlathen, Lochee Park and Ardler.
The skies above the city were well and truly illuminated with this display that appears to shower down over the crowd at Baxter Park in 1985.
Thousands gathered at the city parks to celebrate Bonfire Night in style.
The following year, the five displays across Dundee attracted a record 22,000 people who were keen to enjoy some organised fireworks fun.
But that year, the city fire brigade still had its work cut out when crews were called to 60 incidents of homemade bonfires that got “slightly out of control” on streets and wasteland.
Four-year-old Gemma Stewart got into the spirit of the occasion with her sparkler at Lochee Park bonfire night in 1991.
More than 30,000 Dundonians turned out at the city’s various displays that year despite the bitterly cold temperatures.
A special event was also held at Strathmartine Hospital where residents joined local school pupils in a unique celebration.
More than 100 children carried lanterns through the grounds before a fire sculpture was ignited along with fireworks.
Despite best intents, the unpredictable weather can turn bonfire night into a damp squib.
The crowd silhouetted against the Baxter Park bonfire in 1994, but fog hampered the effects of the fireworks.
Rockets were lost in the gloom and people could barely see their hands in front of their faces in pea-souper conditions.
In the end, thousands of people still turned out and were able to enjoy ground-level fireworks like Chinese fountains and firecracking dinosaurs.
Pals Janine McKeever and Stacey Goldie helped illuminate Baxter Park while awaiting start of the display in 2010.
The much-anticipated ‘Night at the Movies’ themed fireworks that year ended up being delayed by a technical fault.
A generator powering an outdoor entertainment unit broke down plunging the stage into darkness.
The decision was taken to also delay setting off fireworks at Lochee Park as the two displays were supposed to be co-ordinated.
Once the generator was fixed, five-year-old Jordan Donnan from Craigiebarns Primary and Kingspark pupil Hayleigh McIrvine had the honours of pushing the button to start the displays.
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