Look out your lederhosen and prepare your pitcher as a taste of Germany comes to Kirkcaldy this week.
The final touches are being put in place as the town’s traditional beer festival prepares to get under way.
As many as 8,000 revellers are expected to descend on the Lang Toun for four days’ of festivities, with a giant marquee currently under construction in the Town Square.
Hosted to celebrate Kirkcaldy’s twinning links with the town of Ingolstadt, organisers have promised a real celebration of Bavarian culture, complete with beer, meats and even an authentic German Oompah band.
Robert Main, chairman of the Kirkcaldy-Ingolstadt Association, said just a few finishing touches are needed before the first pints are pulled on Thursday.
“We’re currently putting up the marquee and we’re expecting our beer delivery from Germany on Wednesday,” he said.
“We’ve all worked really hard to ensure that it is successful and we’ve had tremendous support from everyone, including volunteers and businesses.
“We hosted a festival two years ago and this is the fifth festival in total, so we’re getting better with rehearsals. I’m sure it’s going to be a big success.”
The association started hosting the beer festival as a way of celebrating cultural links between Kirkcaldy and its twin town of Ingolstadt.
A delegation from the German town will be visiting throughout the gala, while about 100 industrial-sized kegs of Bavarian beer has also been imported for the occasion.
However, Mr Main is keen to demonstrate that the festival, as well as a social event, does have merit in building links between the two communities.
A number of brass bands have established ties and are set to perform on stage together throughout the event, while Ingolstadt will be promoting itself at a special information stand.
This year will mark 52 years since the towns first formed a union and Mr Main hopes that the occasion will be a positive one for everybody.
“We’re creating about 22 local jobs and the volunteers are getting good experience that they can take with them as well,” he added.
“It’s also a great social occasion, as we don’t have tables that people keep for themselves but benches that you share with others.
“It should be a great deal of fun.”
Picture by George McLuskie