EXPECT fun and food this July when the Dorset Seafood Festival returns to Weymouth harbourside.

This is the fourth year the two-day event has taken place and this year promises to include the same attractions which have made it such a huge success, along with some exciting new additions.

And to make sure you keep up to date with the latest festival news, your Dorset Echo is the event’s media partner.

Echo editor Toby Granville said: “I am delighted that the Dorset Echo is joining forces with the Dorset Seafood Festival.

"I’m sure our readers will enjoy our coverage as much as tasting all the treasures the sea has to offer during this fantastic weekend event."

The festival, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10, starts in a splashing style with the Weird Fish Cross Harbour Swim at 10.30am.

The first day will draw to a dramatic conclusion with the Olympic Inspire Moving Tides procession, which will wind its way through the town and festival stalls from 5pm.

Last year, the festival attracted crowds of thousands into Weymouth and the quayside was full of people sampling all the delicious food on offer and watching cookery demonstrations from some of the UK’s top chefs.

This year’s event will see some new faces in the celebrity chef line up including Lesley Waters, Ed Baines, Shaun Rankin, Richard Bertinet, Sila Bjerrum, Alex Aitkin and James Weare.

They will join seasoned Dorset Seafood Festival chefs Mat Follas, John Wright and Giles Thompson.

Mark Hix will also be judging the 2011 Young Dorset Seafood Masterchef competition on the Sunday.

The chef demonstrations will take place across two stages, against the backdrop of more than 70 stalls, many selling a range of seafood dishes with a keen focus on sustainable fishing.

The Dorset Seafood Festival was established to celebrate Wey-mouth’s maritime links and also to promote sustainability and healthy eating.

Its theme explores the journey our seafood takes from sea to plate and imparts a better understanding of the sea, the fishermen and the difficulties they face, the coast and the issues of sustainable fishing and environmental impact.

It also raises valuable funds for The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen Festival committee member Brian Cooper said: “The festival is the fastest growing UK seafood festival and the 2011 sponsors clearly recognise its importance in the UK food show calendar.

“The event was born out of a desire to celebrate the sea and all its bounty in the beautiful Weymouth harbour location. We never imagined that it would grow to this size and scale. The team members behind the event are all experts in their field, which along with secured sponsors, makes the event a joy to deliver.”