In pictures: Christmas light switch on at Kirkcaldy's Mercat Shopping Centre

The big man and Mrs Claus arrived to take up their post in the Mercat Shopping Centre’s grotto on Saturday.

The pair arrived at the High Street entrance to the centre in a sleigh, followed by volunteers from the charity Nourish and the Rotary Club of Kirkcaldy.

A short procession through the centre saw them arrive at centre court for the annual light switch on, watched by the large crowd which had gathered.

Musical entertainment for the afternoon was provided by The Problematix ahead of the festive lights being switched on.

The Tullis Russell Mills Band and Pastor Joseph and his choir had also been entertaining shoppers throughout the day.

Prior to the switch on event, Santa and Mrs Claus took time out of their busy schedule to meet some of the families with children with additional support needs who are supported by Nourish in a relaxed atmosphere.

In a post on Facebook, a spokesperson for the Mercat said: “A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the amazing light switch on.

"An incredible day with an incredible atmosphere. Thank you everyone.

"The day was filled with positive energy and it was very emotional to see so many members of the community in The Mercat to support the event.

"With any event there is always room for improvement, and we can assure you that next year will be even bigger and better. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we understand that the timings of the activities were approximately 15 minutes early, but we sincerely apologise for this. We have already taken steps to ensure this doesn’t happen next year. Thanks again to everyone involved, it was absolutely incredible.”