Links Market: a powerful attraction, but one Kirkcaldy needs to tap into

I’ve gone full circle on the market over the past three decades or more staying here. As a spectacle it rather passes me by these days, but it is only when you wander along the Esplanade as the rides are being built, lorries manoeuvred delicately into position, and giant steel structures are hoisted overhead that you get a sense of the sheer scale of the operation.

It may not be quite as big as it once was, but the market seems to have settled after a few years where it felt a bit thin.

It’s a Kirkcaldy curiosity too. Mention the Links Market to anyone in Edinburgh and, at best, it might ring a vague bell, but few will have ventured across the Forth for a day out - and that’s despite TV advertising.

By and large, the market remains an annual event in the Lang Toun for Lang Toun folk. Nothing wrong with that, but, as a town, we are missing a golden opportunity to shout about it and bring people here, even if for a day. While most of their spend will be at the market, there would be a spin off for cafes, chippies and a few other traders - but if we don’t tell folk about it, then no-one will come.

The Links Market has a history to rival that of the Lammas Market, but the St Andrews event feels better known, but here’s the thing - it’s tiny in comparison. Last time we ventured up, there was distinct feeling of “is that it?”

It’s a rite of passage for all young folk to go on every white knuckle ride and stuff their faces with candy floss until they are sick, but it is also a day out for families as the wee teacups start to spin and the slot machines flash into life.

The market still holds its mass, cross generation appeal - that much is obvious by the numbers who flock to the Esplanade - but the town does little to tap into that huge mass of people.

We have a High Street that is worryingly quiet most days, if not every day. Would a continental market work at the same time? What can we put on to add to the sense of occasion - something that brings the street alive? It can hear the music and the shrieks from the market, but gets none of its buzz, and never has done, so it has to be more pro-active.

I’ve often wondered about the possibility of some of the rides being spread into the Town Square or High Street as a way of extending the noise and spectacle, but I suspect the market folk would not want to stray from their target audience - but is it an idea worth pursuing?

We have to give people reasons to make the shortest of trips from the Esplanade to the High Street, otherwise every penny they spend goes to the market and straight out of town.

They are clearly willing to spend at the market - yup, it ain’t cheap but no-one forces you to fork out a small fortune to be hurled into the air while hanging upside down - so can we nick a small percentage of that for the rest of the town centre?

Our interest in the Links Market has waned, but that’s part of the cycle of life - the dodgem seats are there for the next generation to fill.

But we’ll still go because it evokes so many memories. That’s a powerful pull.