Costumes definitely improved on last years, here in Penkhull(Stoke, England). The guys are a little better I think, too,though still pretty pathetic compared to a generation ago.
I should explain to non-Brits unfamiliar with our customs, a guy is an effigy, commonly of Guy Fawkes but it can be anything, that kids use to collect money in the lead-up to Nov 5. When I was a kid, the guys were commonly more Guy Fawkesy, mostaches, Elizabethan hat. Nowadays they are drifting towards a more Halloweeny look, maybe a Scream mask on some stuffed clothes. I saw one kid on Sunday with a very good kit, a guy mounted on a little trailer attached to his bike so that he could change venues quickly. He had the classic crappy head on the guy, though, a paper bag stuffed with newspaper, with a felt-penned face.