TEN days of arts, culture and fun got under way as the Aberdour Festival kicked off last weekend.

Villagers refused to let the weather rain on their parade and sports day, which began after Commonwealth Games Queen’s baton-bearer Lisa Norman crowned the royal party (pictured right).

There was plenty of colour as a procession including giant rainbows, fish and the Edinburgh Samba School wound its way round the village.

Sunday’s Donkey Brae Run proved a resounding success with one runner, 6ft 8in Alasdair Rae, tackling the seven-mile course in a wedding dress!

Alasdair was fulfilling a pledge made in an attempt to win a wedding competition – which he and fiancée Susan Macmillan duly won – and was fund-raising for charity Mary’s Meals, which had helped source a suitably large dress!

The race was won by Lewis Millar of Central AC in a time of 38:59, with Susan Ridley of Edinburgh AC the first woman in 45:16.

Festival chair Roy Devon said, “We launched the Aberdour Festival in the pouring rain on Saturday morning, but our rainbow parade and samba band was a ray of sunshine that the weather couldn’t dampen, and the village partied through the high street, behind our king and queen, as if they were on a Brazilian beach!” Expect an action-packed Saturday (today) with the Beach Day at Black Sands, sandcastle competition, festival try-a-sail, beach volleyball, raft race, Easter v Wester Aberdour football match, Ronde Haughcross, family ceilidh and barbecue.

Tomorrow's highlights include the village cricket match, Fool Moon Variety Show at The Institute and Craic in the Courtyard at Aberdour Hotel.

The festival concludes tomorrow. For the full programme, log on to www.aberdourfestival.org.