A WATERSPORTS festival returning to Brighton is expected to be bigger than ever.

This year’s Paddle Round The Pier on Hove Lawns welcomes watersports fans for two days of jet skiing, kayaking and lots of other fun events.

Last year 45,000 people turned up and Dave Samuel, the director behind Paddle – as it is known – said this year’s event on July 4 and 5 was likely to see more people than ever turn up.

He said: “I think the joy of Paddle is that it’s all inclusive.

“There really is something in there for everybody.

“The whole thing belongs to the city. The great thing about Paddle is that although it is a huge entity it’s still a community event.”

Fans of the festivity have been known to sport Paddle stickers on their vehicles, in surfer style, as a nod to Paddle in years gone by.

This year, Mr Samuel has upped the ante by offering a Foffa hybrid commuter bike as a prize.

Any vehicle seen sporting a Paddle Round The Pier 2015 sticker can be entered into a competition to win the award-winning Foffa bike.

Mr Samuel is hoping to get the stickers spotted all over the world.

He added: “Few people realise it but each year we take a famous classic surf brand from the 1950s or 60s and rework the logo as a tribute to the event’s roots. Seeing so many local vehicles with vintage collections of the Paddle stickers adorning their rear windows is indeed testament to the good feeling the event commands across the city.”

He said demand for the stickers always outstrips supply, despite organisers producing more than 10,000 last year.

This year’s event takes place over the weekend of July 4 and 5.

In addition to the day of serious watersports on offer, the second day sees paddlers, including an Argus team this year, competing in lovingly constructed rafts.

There will also be stalls, food and drink outlets, a 50-seat lecture theatre and a skid competition, where the cyclist who leaves the longest skid on tarmac also wins a Foffa bike.

Paddle started in 1996 – with a two-year gap in 2001 and 2002.

Last year more than 200 exhibitors set up camp off King’s Road and nearly 100 volunteers made sure the event was a triumph.

As with every year, proceeds go to charity.

Last year’s chosen charities were Freddysmile, Surf Life Saving GB and the RNLI. This year involves Rockinghorse and Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club alongside the RNLI.

For more details on this year’s Paddle and how to win a Foffa bike, visit paddleroundthepier.com.