Great Scott! Hoverboards, DeLoreans and self-tying shoelaces abound as Back to the Future fans recreate Hill Valley

For one day only, a picturesque town about 9km north of Los Angeles was transformed into Hill Valley, the fictional hometown of Marty McFly from the Back to the Future franchise.

As part of the five-day We're Going Back fan event celebrating Back to the Future Day, the downtown streets of Fillmore, California, were blocked off from traffic as fans dressed as characters from the beloved sci-fi film series participated in hoverboard and DeLorean rides.

Back to the Future Day marks the date – October 21, 2015 – that the characters Marty McFly, Emmett “Doc” Brown and Jennifer Parker famously journeyed from 1985 to 2015 in the trilogy’s second instalment in 1989.

“Back to the Future to some people may just be a movie, but to me and everyone that’s come here, it’s a religious experience,” said Brandon Hillock, who arrived dressed as a futuristic McFly. “When things are going really crappy, I can turn the movie on and instantly feel better.”

Oliver and Terry Holler, owners of a DeLorean resembling the time-travelling vehicle from the trilogy, provided rides to fans who made a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

However, they were not transporting passengers to the past or future. Their DeLorean was retrofitted to ride back and forth on the train rails in the middle of town, similar to the vehicle’s Wild West journey in Back to the Future Part III.