LARGS much anticipated Largs Viking festival have announced this year’s programme, complete with parachuting freefalls and aerobatic displays.

The varied programme will offer something for everyone in their week-long family friendly event on September 1 to 9.

Traders are expected to come from across Europe to participate in the Viking Village festivities, including those from Germany, Sweden and Ireland.

The festival allows people to discover the way of life for the Vikings with reproduced villages, uncovering their history and

heritage, as re-enactment group Swords of Dalriada lead the festivities in the Viking Village.

The village will open at 11am every day with last admission at 4.30pm and will be open to school visits.

Viking Festival Chair Alex Gallagher said: “I think that huge thanks are in order to sponsors, North Ayrshire Council and the board members who work tirelessly to make sure the festival is great every year and put Largs on the Map in such a big way.”

Ever popular the festival will have owls on show every day as well as the fun fair and a Scottish food and craft fayre.

The weekends will pack out the promenade with street performers and on-stage entertainment, including performances from The Belfagan Women’s Morris Side compromising dancers and musicians from Cumbria.

Commencing the festival, the opening parade will begin on Saturday September 1 from Morrisons at 1pm and follow down to the Viking Village on the Esplanade.

Performances from pipe bands, ceilidh dancers, coastguard displays and even a lecture on women in early Viking Scotland will fill the weeks exciting and packed calendar.

Rounding up the last weekend of events on Saturday the 8 will be a torchlit parade starting at the Viking Village with a skirmish, fire dancer, burning of the Viking longboat and spectacular fireworks at Broomfield’s.

Having drawn huge crowds in previous years The Red Devils, will help to close the event with their parachute regiments freefall in to the Clyde on Sunday 9.

The full festival programme can be viewed at largsvikingfestival.org/