As Largs Viking Festival prepares to get underway for 2023, we take a look back at the roots of the popular event...
The very first Viking Festival came to Largs in 1980 with the aim of building an international reputation for the town.
The original plan was this - the crux of the event surrounds a Viking invasion, mock battles, parades, and ceremonial burning of a ‘longship’ which already promises to be a series of dramatic spectacles. A Viking Village around the pencil for the week of the festival also featured in the original plans - now based on the seafront at Greenock Road.
Famous TV quizmaster Magnus Magnusson of ‘Mastermind’ was to open the proceedings, and nationwide publicity was financed by the Scottish Tourist Board.
The Largs Tourism Working Party, which was organising the event, was busy approaching firms and individuals who had any sort of link between Scotland and Norway to ask if they were interested in participating in the festival.
Councillor Dan Doris said that the real link between the two nations is the North Sea and suggested that sponsorship was sought from some of the big oil firms.
A Norse warrior model was to go on display outside the Tourist Information Centre. The model in full chain-mail dress cost £100.
The chairman of the Largs Festival Week committee Josh Nordbo said: “This is our first year and the better we can make it, the better it will be for the future. We want the Viking Festival to become international. Let’s make it a good foundation.”
Excitement was building, we reported on April 25, as a three-man delegation from Largs was to travel to Frederikstadt - the Norwegian town with which Largs was hopeful of establishing a twinning link. As part of the exchange, the Largs party were heading to Scandinavia in June, with the Frederikstadt group returning for the Viking Festival.
Magnus Magnusson officially declared the festival open on Wednesday September 3 1980, having just presented a documentary on the Vikings for the BBC. He also gave the first Haakon Haakonsson lecture which was appropriately held in The Nordic Suite of the Royal Hotel.
After the official opening ceremony on the lawn outside Barrfields, local schoolchildren presented their own version of the Battle of Largs of 1263 when the Scots defeated the Vikings.
The first spectacular Viking battle re-enactment took place on the following Saturday when the Pageant Society took the guise of the Viking warriors who tackled the local army of Scots fighters.
At the Pencil the latter-day Vikings re-enacted a Norse raid, landing from the boats for a dramatic battle sequence, and on the same evening, a Viking funeral took place with fireworks.
On Sunday, there was to be a further battle where the Scots were ultimately victorious and marched on foot and horseback to Kelburn Country Centre.
There was also a top level Scotland-Norway weightlifting competition featuring international men battling it out on the promenade.
Among the other attractions were the Viking Spears darts tournament, the King Haakon sea angling contest, a Viking sailing regatta, variety shows and competitions.
At the big launch, Magnus said: “This has been called The Year of the Viking with a vengeance. The Largs Viking Festival is celebrating history for its own sake and a great many fun things to do have been arranged for the coming week, they should be taken as fun and enjoyed as such.
“What we are doing in Largs is reliving the past. It must never be allowed to die, it must always be part of us.”
Why do we celebrate the Viking Festival?
Amid treacherous seas, an army of 20,000 Viking warriors headed to the Clyde in their warships headed to the Clyde in their warships, intent on a battle to the bitter end for Scottish supremancy in 1263.
The signficance of the Battle of Largs oover 750 years ago in the annals of Scottish history has been given a fresh perspective and is now perceived as a major turning point in the timeline of Scotland.
West Kilbride man Jon Henderson, who has presented a BBC documentary on the Vikings, revealed that the whole country may now be speaking Norwegian if it hadn’t been for the stand-off on Scottish soils thanks to King Alexander III’s army. However, it was the awful weather - so berated by many nowadays in Scotland - which played a valuable part in the downfall of King Haakon Haakonsson IV’s men!
“The Vikings had a massive invasion force with several ships landing at Largs when the stormy weather broke in October 1263, and then King Haakon sent in other ships to try and salvage the operation and at that points the Scots pounded the Norsemen. There was no clear winner in the aftermath and King Haakon died two months later.
“If the size of the invasion force at Largs had been bigger and circumstances had been different, it could have been a very different outcome and we would all be speaking Viking nowadays.
How has the festival grown?
The festival has become a major festival in Scotland and internationally, with even a Channel Four film crew at the event this year. In 2018, the festival featured in The Guardian's official 20 great traditional festivals in Europe - which has resulted in crowds of up to 70,000 visiting annually for the big occasion. The original Festival of Fire was based at The Pencil, but was moved to Broomfields over recents, and now has a brand new location for this year.
Over the years, a continental food market was introduced along the seafront in a huge marquee which became a food and craft market, and is also licensed.
During the past 15 years or so, Largs has hosted a number of events in the air including the RAF Typhoon, a British Red Devils parachute jump, and a Battle of Britain memorial event including a Lancaster bomber. This year, a dual Spitfire fly-past is taking place at approximately 1pm on September 9 and 10.
There was also the arrival of a giant Viking warrior structure on the esplanade and named Magnus after the original festival patron and future patron Magnus Fladmark - and it has proved a popular tourism attraction over the years.
It is Magnus's tenth anniversary year since arriving in the town - and he is a 16 foot high galvanised steel statue.
What is the schedule for this year's festival?
The Largs Viking Festival returns in a blaze of glory, with an exciting schedule of events from September 2-10.
It includes all the usual favourites including the opening parade, Viking Village entertainment stage, food and craft market, and The Festival of Fire.
The opening parade starts at Morrison's Supermarket a 1pm on September 2 and runs along to the Vikingar! - with an opening ceremony taking place at 1.30pm.
The full schedule is here - www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/23741613.largs-full-schedule-largs-viking-festival-2023/
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