Dozens of international guests from Forres’s twin town will sample a slice of Scottish culture next month.
People from Vienenburg in Germany will celebrate the links between the two diverse communities at the hugely popular Piping at Forres.
Almost 50 visitors are now counting down the days until they arrive in the north for the European Pipe Band Championships contest.
The chairman of the Forres-Vienenburg Twining Association, David MacFarquhar, timed the group’s annual visit to coincide with the piping contest.
Mr MacFarquhar said: “Twinning exchanges do not normally take place at the height of the summer, but this one will and it is Piping At Forres that is the big attraction.
“Our visitors have been here many times before and their bus is normally greeted by a piper, but this is different.
“When they heard that more than 100 bands would be playing in Grant Park there was a rush to get a place on the trip.”
Roland Wolf, secretary of the Vienenburg Twinning Association added: “To hear more than one band playing together sounds difficult.
“Organising 100 pipe bands to play together sounds impossible, or like a miracle.”
The trip follows a visit last year which focussed on kick-starting school exchanges between Forres Academy and the Vicco von Bulow Oberschule.
Vienenburg is a borough of Goslar, in the state of Lower Saxony.
It was twinned with Forres in 1984, and residents from both communities have since enjoyed getting to know one another on various trips.
Piping at Forres will be staged at Grant Park on Saturday, June 24.
The event has taken place in the Moray town every summer since 2013.
The gathering brings thousands of people to the region every year and regularly boosts the economy by about £1million.
The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s (RSPBA) contract with Forres Events Ltd to run the event at Grant Park is due to expire next summer.
But RSPBA top brass last month indicated that they would be happy for the celebration of traditional music to remain in Moray for years to come.
