Ballot dates have been announced for the Essex Big Weekend.

The countywide event has returned after being a roaring success in 2017.

A huge variety of Essex tourist attractions and related businesses will be opening their doors or offering special gifts for free to lucky ticket holders on March 24 and 25, as part of Visit Essex’s second celebration of the county’s tourism industry.

Some of the county’s biggest attractions have signed up to this year’s event, including Barleylands, Chelmsford City Racecourse, Lifehouse Spa Hotel, Marks Hall Gardens and Arboretum, Redwings Horse Sanctuary and Hedingham Castle, to name a few.

Tickets, understandably, are limited, hence they are allocated via a ballot.

Registration for the ballot will open on Thursday, February 8, and you can apply for as many tickets as you want.

The winners of the limited tickets will be selected at random.

A spokesman for the event said: “Last year, more than 86,000 bids were made for tickets to the launch event, so make sure you bid for as many tickets as possible to be in with a chance of winning. “

Visit Essex PR and marketing manager Carol Jolly said: “We could not have asked for a better welcome last year for the first ever Essex Big Weekend.

“All the participating attractions got into the spirit of the weekend, and we received some brilliant feedback from all involved.

“The Big Weekend is a fantastic way to kick-start the tourist season, but it’s also a great way to reignite people’s passion for Essex among those who should be its biggest ambassadors – the residents.”

Visit Essex is the official tourism organisation for the county and its members include visitor attractions, leisure/activity providers, accommodation establishments and other tourism related businesses.

To register for the ballot, go to www.essexbigweekend.co.uk or the Visit Essex website.