The History of the Festival

The Largs Viking Festival started in the 1980s, as a small-scale celebration of the Battle of Largs. The Battle is also commemorated by the monument popularly known as The Pencil.

You cannot miss the importance of Vikings to Largs - with a number of references to Vikings around the town - including street names, the amusement arcade and the Viking who stands outside the Main Street chippie. There is also more serious commemoration such as the Vikingar, which is an interactive exhibit with storytellers telling Viking tales and myths and the yearly Håkon Håkonsson Lecture.

The Hakon Hakonsson Lecture has been held by Largs & District Historical Society as a regular event during The Viking Festival. It was inaugurated by the late Magnus Magnusson in 1980 and he, himself, provided a number of the lectures. Many other eminent historians have also given of their time and expertise to add to our knowledge of the Vikings and this year's speaker will be Professor Ted Cowan, his subject being 'The Battle of Largs & The Western Approaches', which will provide an insight into Viking activity in the vicinity of the Clyde over half a millennium. Magnus Magnusson will be sadly missed but his legacy continues.

There was also the mysterious painting of the Battle of unknown origin done on the wall of what used to be the Victoria Hotel. Rediscovered some ten years ago sadly it has disappeared once more, since the Victoria Hotel is now no more and even the business which replaced it now lies derelict.

Originally, only a few Viking re-enactors were involved and the organisers attracted some of Largs homegrown talent – such as Benny Gallagher of Gallagher and Lyle, who is still going strong.

Over the years it has grown in size and in importance and so has the entertainment – in past years involving RAF displays over Largs Bay, longships and funfairs and every year a Viking Village is now built on the promenade.

Of course, the best-loved part is the finale on the second Saturday night where a large number of Viking re-enactors take to the field in front of the Pencil and recreate the Battle of Largs in all its splendour, followed by a ceremonial boat-burning and a firework display.

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