THE chairman of Largs Viking Festival believes this year's spectacular will be better than ever with over 70,000 visitors expected.
With the opening parade and ceremony, aerobatics, festival of fire, and the Red Devils parachute display, Councillor Alex Gallagher reckons the annual Norse celebration has returned to its roots.
This year's event also brings the return of the popular Viking Village which provides an educational resource for children to enable them to see how Vikings used to live.
There will also be Scottish and international food fayres to tickle the tastebuds of visitors.

Largs and Millport Weekly News:
Mr Gallagher said:| "For me the Viking Festival is about bringing people together, and when we first started getting involved, the festival seemed to be drifting away from the locals and more geared to the visitors, but I think we have changed that.
"I am praying for good weather.
"We have a good and exciting mix this year.
"I am particularly delighted that we have Pauline Hunter, chief of the Hunterston Clan, to officially open the festival on Saturday.
"Pauline contacted us a couple of years ago and said she would like to come along to the festival.
"Not only did we invite her, we thought it would be fitting to ask her to launch the festival this year as after all she is a local aristocrat, and the head of Clan Hunter, and always adds a bit of colour to proceedings.
"We thought it would be a good idea to ask a prominent local person."
Mr Gallagher says the festival brings in around £250,000 to the local economy.
He told the News: "It is a boost to the town's economy and visibility and it involves both the tourists coming to the town and the local community - it is great and a unifier for the town."
He praised the festival committee for all their hard work throughout the year, including Linda and Ray Young, Gordon Fyfe, William Ferguson, Thomas McMillan and wife Elaine, Douglas Blair and John Dobie
The Festival of Fire event takes place on Saturday September 8.
For the full Viking Festival schedule, which kicks off this weekend, go to www.largsvikingfestival.org