Fancy dress pieoneer!

Adam Maidment speaks to the man behind town's Boxing Day tradition of four decades

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IT'S A Boxing Day tradition in Wigan that, like the town's famous pies, never disappoints.

For more than 40 years, the fancy dress night out has been a highlight in many a partygoer's calendar.

Superheroes, movie characters... walking bananas - it's quite the sight. This year was no different and venues such as The Wiend Bar and Wetherspoons were packed.

"It's just a mad tradition," a man named Joe, dressed in an animal onesie, told the M.E.N.

Another person said it's 'the best night in Wigan. Asked about the origins of the mad tradition, one group of friends said: "It's just a thing in Wigan... it's just what you do." Artist Anna FC Smith previously suggested the tradition began with a fancy dress party at Wigan Rugby Union Club in the late 1970s.

Another explanation has now been thrown into the mix with the tradition's origins reportedly dating back to Wigan Pier in 1979.