The Saltcoats Sea Queen festival returns this weekend

The fun kicks off on Saturday (July 15) with a grand parade, leaving the Argyle Centre in Campbell Avenue at 11am.

Queen Naomi Brogan will be crowned, alongside her Captain Oliver McCallum, at the seafront behind Oscars when the parade arrives.

Then the fun really begins with a whole host of entertainment taking place throughout the afternoon.

Captain Oliver and Queen Naomi (Image: Saltcoats Sea Queen Festival)

That includes great events for the kids, including facepainting, rides and plenty of stalls available.

And the festival fun continues on Sunday from 12-5pm, with all the usual attractions, plus musical tributes to Robbie Williams and Cher.

The Sea Queen Festival is now almost 100 years old, having been launched back in 1928.

Provost William D. Kerr proposed the idea of crowning a Queen of the Sea to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Saltcoats becoming a Burgh of Barony.

Netta Duff, a former pupil of Ardrossan Academy, was crowned the first Sea Queen by the Provost's wife on August 1928, in front of a crowd of more than 20,000.

But the big event has not taken place since 2018 - with the pandemic playing a part - and there were fears last year that the annual event would become a thing of the past.

The organising committee, a team of volunteers, said in September of 2022 that the 2023 edition of the event had been cancelled after a "severe lack of interest" at their AGM.

But the community got behind the event once more and the Saltcoats Sea Queen Festival was resurrected in November.

Since then, fundraising has been in full swing to ensure a successful return for the popular Saltcoats event.

The organisers are still on the look out for any groups, teams, clubs or families who wish to take part in the parade.

All who wish to do so should contact organisers via their Facebook page - facebook.com/SaltcoatsSeaQueen.