Organisers of the Largs Viking Festival have explained the reason why the popular Magnus the Viking statue has become absorbed into the Viking Village attraction which is pay to enter throughout the forthcoming festival.
Chairman Douglas Blair addressed the matter after concerns were raised on a Facebook forums that children could not get direct access for selfies and a closer look at the giant warrior which is one of the town's iconic symbols.
Magnus is now subsumed within the Viking Village attraction which hosts an authentic style original village from Viking times with various re-enactment groups.
It is one of the festival's main attractions, but requires payment to access, and is one of the festival's main fundraisers.
Adult entry is £10, child entry is £5, and a general family ticket which admits four is £20, with under 5s free.
Mr Blair explained that there were various reasons behind the decision including security concerns after recent vandalism to the site, but wanted to reassure people that the festival organisers would not prevent anyone from getting a picture if they kindly asked a festival volunteer.
He said: "It is not our land and is owned by North Ayrshire Council. The plans and applications for the site have all been agreed. I personally haven't received any complaints on the situation.
"If anyone is very keen to get a picture with Magnus, I am sure if they ask one of the volunteers at the main entrance kindly, it can be arranged.
"The alternative is just to wait until a week on Sunday, as Magnus the Viking is open on the other 50 weeks of the year.
"We try our very best to make it the best festival it can be, and this is a trial run to see how it works.
"The other issue is that we have had vandalism at the Viking Village site which was very disappointing and the site needs to be protected.
"We don't want to stop anyone getting a picture taken with Magnus but at the same time we are a voluntary group and North Ayrshire Council Streetscene have been working hard only to have seen the village being repeatedly vandalised which means we have had to up our security at the site.
"The main frame of the village set-up has been damaged by vandals, while there have also been other incidents across the site."
The festival's Viking Village is currently being assembled ahead of the hugely popular annual event, which starts on Saturday, August 31.
The festival kicks off on Saturday with the opening parade which starts at Morrison's Supermarket at 1pm and is followed by the opening ceremony.
This year's full Viking Festival schedule has been revealed and includes a larger Viking Village, the return of the Håkon Håkonsson lecture, and the spectacular Festival of Fire.
There will be 40 classic cars coming as part of the festival parade, a full entertainment schedule on the big outdoor stage across both weekends of the festival, as well as the popular Festival of Fire on September 7 which includes longboat burning, The Battle of Largs re-enactment from 1263, and fireworks display.
Mr Blair said: "The Viking Village is our main income and there is plenty of events and activities that are free of charge for people to come along and enjoy.
"We are all volunteers and give up our time working over weekends and behind the scenes to make it all possible."
Full festival details can be accessed at https://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/24518177.largs-viking-festival-entertainment-guide-2024/.
In a statement issued by the Viking Festival this evening, issued on the Largs People facebook forum, it stated the following: "As many of you know, over the last few years we have lost out on much needed funding that we relied on to keep most of our events free. The committee have had to make changes to the festival in order for it to not only survive but thrive.
"The Viking village and festival of fire is now the main source of income. We cannot survive on funding alone!
"By moving and making the Viking village the focal point of the festival, we hope to attract more visitors and as a result the town benefits.
"We hope you can understand that if we don't take this action we could lose the Largs Viking festival altogether and after 45 years it would be a travesty.
"The Largs Viking festival is a charity and each year it gets harder and harder to pull in enough funds to run it and relies heavily on its trustees and volunteers who come under criticism for some of the decisions they have to make to ensure the festival survives another year.
"We would like to thank all the local businesses who have sponsored and supported us, without their support we couldn't carry on either.
"Because of these challenges, The Largs Viking festival is undergoing quite a transformation this year. It has given us the opportunity to rethink our strategy and shake things up a bit. We will still bring you your Festival favourites, such as the opening parade, food and craft Market, free entertainment, and fireworks display.
"Regarding Magnus, much speculation has been made about the need to be photographed next to Magnus on the promenade free of charge.
"This will still be possible subject to some essential safety and wellbeing rules during the festival week once we open on Saturday when the Village is handed over to the committee.
Up to then please note.
1. that the site is still under construction.
2. Adverse weather has played a part in some of issues in finishing the site
3. Vandalism earlier this and last week has also caused some disruption.
4. The festival committee thanks the local community for continuing to support the event which benefits so many local groups and charities.
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