With the festival steadily gaining ground across the Goldfields, businesses across the city are strewn with cobwebs, horrible pumpkins and lifelike spiders, promising a bumper few days of festive evil spirit.

Ballarat Trick or Treaters is a Facebook page gaining a strong following.

Participants are asked to register if they will be dishing out treats on October 31 to miniature witches and goblins and attach an orange or teal balloon to their letterbox.

Events will be held across the city this weekend, including parties at the Hop Temple, the Bluestone and the the Mallow, while Kryal Castle will be offering ghost tours and a special creepy feast.

If you would like your Halloween costume included on The Courier’s online gallery, please Instagram us @ballaratcourier or tag them #ballarathalloween.

To find out more about why Ballarat has become so crazy about Halloween, turn to the Weekender on page 32.