THE HARBOURSIDE Festival returns to Irvine this weekend, bringing with it the traditional Fourth Port Parade and Dragon Boat Challenge.

From early on Saturday, visitors to the Harbourside will be able to enjoy a feast of family fun with face-painting, football and other competitions, two separate Junior 1K Fun Runs and various children’s activities in the HAC and in the Scottish Maritime Museum.

Other attractions along Harbour Street will include several exhibitions, one of which will be Irvine Carters’ display featuring the Marymass Coach, alongside a craft fayre and several trade stalls, before the arrival of the Carters’ Parade.

On arrival, the Provost and chair of Marymass Festival will welcome the Captain of Irvine Carters Society and their party, including Marymass Queen Jordyn Leckie and her Four Maries as well as Marymass Queen-elect Ashleigh McLachlan and her entourage. The Deacon Convener of the Irvine Incorporated Trades will also be present, along with the Chairs of the Irvine Community Council and Fullarton Community Association.

As part of their official visit to the Royal Burgh’s Fourth Port, the Captain of the Carters will place a sash on the Carter’s Statue, a symbol of the close links that still exist between Irvine’s Carters and what was once one of Scotland’s busiest ports.

Irvine Harbour will be buzzing once again throughout the afternoon as 15 crews battle on the water in authentic Chinese Dragon Boats to make a thrilling spectacle and keep the crowds cheering for their local favourites.

Each boat is sponsored either by local individuals or by companies and last year’s Dragon Boat Challenge raised close on £10,000 for local charities via crew sponsorship.

During the day, there will be a variety of music on the Festival Stage, opposite the HAC, with Irvine Beat FM’s Roadshow as well as live music from Marymass regulars Irvine & Dreghorn Silver Band, spectacular drumming from Mugen Taiko Dojo performance team, the amazing Mike Whellans’ One-Man Blues Band and the traditional Scottish sound of the Fraser McLellan Band.

The newly formed Rock Guitar Orchestra, from the HAC, will make its first public appearance during the afternoon.

Side-shows throughout the day will include a traditional Punch and Judy Show, carousels and swings for younger visitors, and children’s races and there will even be an itinerant troubadour who is also a story-teller.

For those who want to learn more about the characters who shaped the success of Irvine Harbour in times past, Irvine Lasses Burns Club will be hosting several guided Heritage Walks along the new Harbourside Heritage Trail and bookings can be made in the HAC on the day.

Bringing the evening to a dramatic climax will be the Festival of Light Parade, with some fresh but familiar characters appearing as it passes along Harbour Street from Puffer’s Car Park around 9.15pm, heading for the ever-popular Marymass Fireworks Display, coming again this year from the Ardeer Peninsula, with the co-operation of NPL Estates and Chemring Energetics.

Chair of the Marymass Festival Committee Pat McPhee said: “At the start of last year’s festival, the weather was appalling and it was a case of ‘fingers crossed and keep going’, but as it brightened up in the late morning, more and more people came along and there was a real family atmosphere along the Harbourside that, in some ways, set the tone for the rest of Marymass. By the end of the day, the crowd numbered several thousand.

“The Harbourside Festival is a fascinating combination of the town’s past as epitomised by the Carters’ visit to the Fourth Port and the new attractions that bring the old harbour alive once again.

“We are particularly pleased that the local business community, particularly those with a higher profile, recognise that the Harbourside Festival, which we created, host and manage exclusively as part of the wider Marymass Festival, is their biggest day of the year and we wish them success.

“None of this could happen without the co-operation of local residents and the wider Fullarton community and their invaluable support is greatly appreciated by the thousands who come to enjoy themselves in this historical part of the town.

“It’s an outstanding family fun-day in a unique setting and a positive display of people who care working together to create a genuine community event.”