Santa will arrive in Fife, accompanied by his reindeer, this weekend as the countdown to Christmas gets under way in Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.
The Mercat Reindeer Parade, now in its 29th year, will wind its way through the town from noon on Sunday.
Led by Kirkcaldy and District Pipe Band, the procession will finish at the Mercat Centre, where Santa’s grotto will be open from 1.30pm.
Mercat Centre manager Stephen Roberts said: “Christmas is such a great time in the centre and I’m thrilled that through working in close partnership with Kirkcaldy 4 All, we’ll be putting on, and being part of, such a wide range of events for people of all ages to get involved with.
“The Reindeer Parade is always a real highlight of the festive season in Kirkcaldy and we wanted to make it even more special by opening the doors to our grotto on the same day. As we get closer and closer to Christmas, the excitement is building throughout the centre and we’re looking forward to a great few weeks of fun, events and activities.”
The town’s lantern parade and lights switch on will take place next Saturday, November 25.
Led by drumming band Drumatik, the procession will begin at 4.30pm outside the Mercat Shopping Centre and will make its way to the Town Square.
Elsewhere, Dunfermline town centre will be illuminated when its Christmas lights are switched on at 5.30pm on Saturday.
There will be a colourful parade starting at 4.15pm from East Port ahead of Santa switching on the lights at 5.30pm.
A children’s book festival will take place from 11am to 3pm and there will be special performances of the play Christmas in the Glen Again by local writer Caroline Copeland. These will take place at the Canmore, Canmore Street, at 11.30am and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday with tickets priced at £5.
Another feature of the Christmas lights this year will be a projection on the large gable end next to the gap site in the High Street.
And the festive spirit will also extend to Cupar on Sunday as Duffus Park plays host to a 5k Santa Fun Run and Christmas Jumper kids race.
A run for the under 13s of around 700 metres starts at 12.15pm, with participants invited to wear a Christmas jersey, and registration will take place at the sports hub from 10.30am.
The 5k Santa Fun Run is on an out and back course along St Mary’s Road. Free Santa suits will be provided and all proceeds will go to Cupar at Christmas, the organisation responsible for the Christmas lights which will be switched on in Cupar’s town centre on November 25.
