The Square will be filled with an array of stalls featuring local businesses, crafts people, community groups, and farmers market stalls.

There will be also be hot food, hot drinks, Christmas sparkle and goodies, games and gifts for all ages and tastes.

Whilst the highlight of this year’s festival, which takes place on November 29 and 30, will be the skating rink taking pride of place in Colquhoun square, there is much more to entertain.

The square, will be lit by the new Christmas lights on the trees as well as the lamp posts and all the stalls will be lit too creating a festive atmosphere in the town’s new event space.

The skating rink will be open throughout both days of the festival and on the Saturday night there will be an evening disco event for the real enthusiasts.

An event space will be created and Donna’s Dazzlers and Mo’s School of Dance will be putting on displays, as will Helensburgh’s young skateboarders who will be taking a stall to raise money for their skatepark improvement project.

Another Winter festival highlight will be the concert by the Military Wives Choir and the Neptune Volunteer Band at the Tower Digital Arts Centre on Saturday evening.

The market will open around 10am on the Saturday and run until the stallholders decide its time to go home.

Opening time will be noon on Sunday until around 4pm in time for the pipeband parade and fireworks display which will bring the Festival to a close. The square will also be home on both days to children’s fairground rides, different ones on each of the days, and down on the seafront Codona’s will provide entertainment with bigger fairground rides which will be brought further up the car park for the event.

A selection of emergency vehicles and RIBs for children to have a look at and even to sit in will be sited at the pierhead, and on Sunday a number of classic MGs will be parked at the top of the square in Colquhoun Street.

One of the most important visitors to the festival will be Santa Claus who will be holding court at the Buffet Shop on both days and will welcome visits for all the local youngsters who want to meet him.

On the Sunday the amazing real reindeer who have been popular regulars at the festival will be back and this year Molly’s Miniatures, the tiny ponies from Cardross who so delighted adults and youngsters alike at the Hallowe’en event will be joining in the fun.

The Townhead Farm sheep, who are now very familiar faces at the festival, and who also took part in the fun at Hallowe’en, will be meeting their friends on both days and may even take part in Sunday’s Santa Dash again this year.