Saltcoats Sea Queen Festival in pictures as event returns

After a five year gap, the grand parade left the town's Argyle Centre at 11am on Saturday, making its way to the shore.

The crowds then gathered at the area behind Oscars for the crowning of the 2023 Queen Naomi Brogan, accompmanied by her Captain Oliver McCallum and the rest of the royal party.

The party continued throughout the afternoon, with plenty of entertainment to keep everyone happy.

There were fun rides for the kids, face painting and plenty of stalls available.

And the entertainment included some fantastic performances from local dance schools.

There was more entertainment in store on Sunday from 12noon until 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.

And the weekend's welcome return of the festival has certainly revived interest in the big event with just five years to go before its centenary.

Congratulations to all who helped make it such a success.