DATES have now been confirmed for the return of the Saltcoats Sea Queen festival.

The festival will take place on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 - with further details of timings still to be confirmed.

The event has not taken place since 2018, and there were fears last year that the annual event would become a thing of the past.

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

Though afterwards, the community got behind the event once more and the Saltcoats Sea Queen Festival was resurrected in November 2022.

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

In March, the festival Queen was confirmed as Naomi Brogan, and her Captain is to be Oliver McCallum.

And now the pair, alongside the rest of the royal party, know when they will be parading across the Saltcoats streets.

While 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.