The World Darts Championship is back in roistering fashion as fans celebrated its return with a variety of festive outfits.
Darts’ premier competition is known for its vivid atmosphere and the supporters weren’t about to upset the tradition.
Fans arrived dressed in all the trimmings suitable for a white Christmas, including as turkeys, trees, and elves.
There were plenty who sauntered in with less recognisably Christmassy guises, with lobsters, pineapples, and hotdogs spotted among the crowd.
One chap had the ingenuity to turn up with a darts board wreathing his face, which one hopes the players won’t be confused by.
Plenty of darts fans arrived dressing for the festive season at the World Darts Championship
A group of turkeys enjoyed a final social occasion before undertaking their Christmas duties
Santa allowed some of his elves a rare night off during his busiest time of year
Lobster might be a more upmarket choice of cuisine for the dinner table
Perhaps some consider ketchup a staple of Christmas because more than one attendee arrived as a bottle of Heinz.
One trio waltzed their way into the arena dressed as varieties of Elvis Presley, and even quite suspicious minds would have to admit they made a good effort.
The fun didn’t stop there, with one man doing his best Ali G imitation.
Four matches were scheduled to take place on Friday night.
In the first, Kevin Doets beat Stowe Buntz in three sets to set up a round two clahs with Michael Smith, landing five 180s and 60 per cent on the doubles.
Some merrymakers turned up dressed as pineapples
Don’t aim for a bullseye with this darts board!
One of Santa’s helpers had a message for his mother back home
Ketchup was a surprisingly popular choice of outfit, often complementing a hotdog
In the second match, Cameron Menzies of Scotland progressed with a three-set win over Rusty-Jake Rodriguez.
Simon Whitlock negotiated a tricky encounter with Paolo Nebrida, advancing from that match-up with a 3-2 win.
More to follow.
Three Elvis Pressley impersonators brought the charisma to Ally Pally
Can we expect Ali G to drop a new darts-related theme next year?
Three Power Rangers imposed themselves on the scene to bring order and discipline
Any help in identifying what these costumes are meant to be?