The popular Elie Scarecrow Festival has returned after a 14-month coronavirus delay.
The event was cancelled last summer but returned for its eighth year on Friday.
“The village is already buzzing,” said organiser Shona Jones. “The creations this year are particularly impressive.
“The event is totally Covid compliant.
“Usually, people would buy a map from the village shops but we don’t want them to have loads of queues.
“We want to keep village shops stable, so we’ve put up A3 posters around village of the scarecrow map.
“We had to think safety first this year.”
The Elie Scarecrow Festival usually takes place on the May bank holiday weekend, however this year it is taking the usual place of the Elie Fayre Day.
The festival runs until Sunday.
The Elie Fayre Day was cancelled this year due to Covid restrictions.
“The village is quite busy around this time anyway, it’s summertime,” said Ms Jones.
“We’re following the guidance, so we’ve chosen to spread the festival over the nine days.
“It’ll be a fun event that people can do at their leisure.”
Extra parking has been arranged with Fife Coast and Countryside Trust to accommodate the visitors.
‘Element of surprise’
There are 24 official scarecrows on the Elie map this year.
Last year, more than 40 straw characters were on display throughout the village.
“It’s down because of the time of year, but there’s always extra scarecrows popping up,” Shona said.
“People like the element of surprise and they want to see if anyone notices that their creation isn’t on the map.”
Usually, the public vote on their favourite scarecrow. However, Covid restrictions have meant that a panel has been elected instead.
There are four members on the judging panel, including one member who has won the public vote for their own creations six times.
First place winners will get £50, with runners up in second and third place receiving £25 each.
“Usually people either donate the money to charity,” said Shona.
“Or they spoil themselves with a few nice bits and pieces.”
There will be drop-off points around the village for anyone wishing to donate to the East Neuk foodbank.
The Elie Fayre Day group have also been working closely with the RNLI to promote their safety work along the coastal path to increase water safety.
There will be signage promoting use of the what3words app, which helps pinpoint exact locations for rescuers.
All updates on the event can be found on the Elie Fayre Day Facebook page.