The outlandish costumes on display at Wigan's fancy dress Boxing Day booze up

Thousands of revellers descended on Wigan town centre for its annual Boxing Day fancy dress bonanza. One party-goer even dressed up as the late pop superstar George Michael - just one day after the singer was found dead at home.

Each year townsfolk in Wigan have a tradition of wearing fancy dress costumes for a wild night out on December 26. Fancy dress is so popular in the Greater Manchester town on Boxing Day that some nightclubs won't let you through the door unless you're wearing a colourful costume.

This year there were pirates, cavemen, a Batman and even a Nazi spotted by photographers.

A couple wearing Dragon Ball Z-themed outfits (Photo: London News Pictures Ltd)

Inevitably, there were some who partied a little too hard and ended up being carted off by the police, throwing up in the street or being treated by paramedics.

The Boxing Day booze up comes hot on the heels of Mad Friday , which saw thousands of revellers paint towns and cities red across the country for one final time before Christmas.

One man dressed up as Britney Spears to celebrate in Wigan town centre, while another donned an incredible Dark Knight costume.

One of the more controversial outfits involved a swastika armband and long leather jacket.

Photos showed some revellers a little worse for wear, throwing up or passed out in the street.

Another photo showed a man being detained by police, while one person was taken away on a stretcher by paramedics.