Breakout: Organisers begin countdown to Fife's biggest music festival

Organisers of Breakout, which takes place over three days on Kirkcaldy’s waterfront, have begun a leaflet drop to several thousands people living closest to the proposed site.

The aim is to inform them of the plans which will see part of the Esplanade closed for one week to set up the stagesg for the festival which will bring a host of top Scottish bands to the Lang Toun from May 27-29.

The line-up includes Wet Wet Wet, Midge Ure, The Skids, Big Country, Goodbye Mr McKenzie, Gun, Hue And Cry plus the Red Hot Chili Pipers.

The festival will feature two stages, with the main one situated at The Basin - the traditional lorry park at the end of the Esplanade - and another smaller dance and acoustic stage along the Esplanade.

Up to 30,000 music fans could pour into town over the three days to enjoy the live music.

The waterfront is home to the annual Links Market, but this is the first time it has been transformed into a live music venue.

And with houses directly opposite, and the road being one of the main routes through town, the organisers have put in a huge amount of work to ensure everything will go as smoothly as possible.

As part of their community engagement, they are distributing 3000 leaflets to residents.

The work started last weekend and will continue over the next two weeks.

Ian Arnott, the man behind the festival, said: “If there are any questions the leaflets will help.

“We have a host of wonderful bands lined up and everyone is looking forward to it, but the fact we are staging it on the Esplanade does bring some logistical issues, so it’s important we keep people informed.”

Road closures are based on the existing plans for the annual Links Market, and part of the Prom from the Basin along to just before Food Warehouse - the old Lidl store - will be closed for a week to allow time to build the stages and set up fencing.

There will still be access to Links Street while diversions are in place.

The organisers say noise levels will be monitored throughout the event, with bands performing from midday to 11:00pm.

Sound checks will only be offered to headline acts, and, if needed, will take place at 10:00am on the day they perform.

Security staff will also be on hand to manage the crowds and ensure they disperse as quietly as possible - the aim is to have the site emptied by 11:30pm each night.

The festival will also include some fairground attractions between the stages, running from 1:00pm until 10:30pm.

Added Ian: “Everyone at Breakout is committed to ensure this event is a huge success and is run safely.”

With the event just over two months away, the organisers are starting to step up their preparations behind the scenes.

Added Ian: “It takes time to put together the infrastructure for a festival.

“We will close the roads at midnight on the Sunday so we are on site first thing the following morning. We want to get that clear run and get everything built up.

“We need to create the stages, put up fencing around the site and then bring in PA systems and giant TV screens as well as generators.

“We’re happy with hoe everything has gone so far - we are exactly where we want to be in our preparations right now.

“The team behind it have 170 years of knowledge of running these type of events between them.”

The countdown is expected to trigger the next wave of ticket sales.

The organisers still have to add a couple of bands to her bill, but the vast majority of names already confirmed.

As well as the established names, Breakout will showcase a host of Fife musicians, while the winners of a battle of the bands will also get to perform on the main stage.

That competition gets underway at Styx on March 27 and April 3, with both heats hosted by

Collette Burns from The Letty Rock Show on community radio station K107fm.

She has already announced the first bands who will perform,. With more to be unveiled in the countdown to the first heat.

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