The Blackpool Airshow 2026 takes place on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August 2026 along Blackpool Promenade. It is a free, 2-day aerial display event featuring military and civilian aircraft over the Irish Sea. It is one of the longest-running seafront airshows in the world.
For official aviation safety context, see the UK Civil Aviation Authority. For the previous guide in this series, see Cleethorpes Airshow 2026: Dates, Aircraft, Armed Forces Weekend, and 4 Key Facts.
What Is the Blackpool Airshow 2026?
The Blackpool Airshow is a free annual aviation event held on Blackpool’s seafront. It showcases military jets, historic warbirds, and precision aerobatic teams performing over the Irish Sea against the backdrop of Blackpool Tower.
The show is organised by Visit Blackpool and directed by R5 Air Displays Ltd. It draws aviation enthusiasts, families, and tourists from across Lancashire and the wider United Kingdom each August.
When and Where Does the Blackpool Airshow 2026 Take Place?
The Blackpool Airshow 2026 runs on 8 and 9 August 2026, from 10:00am to 5:00pm each day. The Air Show Village opens from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
The best views are from the promenade between the Central Pier and the North Victorian Pier. The primary display area is:
- Venue: Tower Festival Headland, Blackpool Promenade
- Postcode: FY1 4BJ
- County: Lancashire, England
Is the Blackpool Airshow 2026 Free to Attend?
Yes. The Blackpool Airshow 2026 is free to attend. No ticket, booking, or registration is required. Visitors simply arrive at the promenade and find a viewing spot along the seafront.
Blackpool’s free events programme has been identified as a key driver of visitor growth, particularly during periods when household finances are under pressure.
What Aircraft Display at the Blackpool Airshow 2026?
The 2026 Blackpool Airshow features the RAF Typhoon Display among its confirmed military flying displays. The full lineup is confirmed progressively closer to the event date. Based on confirmed participants and historical appearances, the 2026 show is expected to include the following aircraft.
Which Military Aircraft Feature at the 2026 Show?
The show regularly features a heavy-hitting lineup of British aviation, including the Red Arrows, the RAF Typhoon, and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight — featuring the Lancaster, Spitfire, and Hurricane.
Confirmed and regularly featured military aircraft include:
- RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 (29 Sqn) — a front-line combat jet capable of supersonic speed
- RAF Red Arrows — the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, flying 9 BAE Hawk jets in formation
- Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) — operates the Avro Lancaster, Supermarine Spitfire, and Hawker Hurricane
|
Aircraft |
Type |
Role |
|
Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 |
Military jet |
Combat display |
|
BAE Hawk T1 (Red Arrows) |
Jet trainer |
Precision aerobatics |
|
Avro Lancaster |
WWII bomber |
Heritage flight |
|
Supermarine Spitfire |
WWII fighter |
Heritage flight |
|
Hawker Hurricane |
WWII fighter |
Heritage flight |
What Civilian and Aerobatic Displays Are Included?
Civilian and aerobatic aircraft regularly featured at Blackpool include:
- AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers — performers strapped to the wings of 1940s Boeing Stearman biplanes
- Catalina Flying Boat (Miss Pick Up) — a rare WWII-era amphibious aircraft built in 1943
- Muscle Pitts Biplane — modified Pitts Special biplanes performing high-energy aerobatics
- Calidus Autogyro — a rotary-wing aircraft offering a unique flying display
- Yak Trio — 3-aircraft formation featuring Soviet-era Yak-52 and Yak-18T trainers
- North American Harvard — a WWII trainer aircraft; over 5,000 were supplied to British and Commonwealth air forces
What Is the History of the Blackpool Airshow?
Blackpool hosted the UK’s first official airshow in 1909. Around 60,000 spectators attended the first day of that event in October 1909. French and British pioneer pilots competed across a week of flying displays at a converted golf course 2 miles south of Blackpool.
The modern seafront airshow has been held annually, typically each August, and has grown into one of the most attended free public events in northern England.
How Many People Attend the Blackpool Airshow Each Year?
The 2024 Blackpool Airshow attracted around 350,000 people over its 2-day run.
Airshow crowd numbers rose 41% in 2023 compared to 2022, reflecting the event’s growth as a flagship free attraction in Blackpool’s annual events calendar.
What Is the Economic Impact of the Blackpool Airshow?
Blackpool’s total tourism industry is valued at £1.98 billion, with the resort accounting for 32% of the total value of Lancashire’s visitor economy. Free events such as the Airshow are central to sustaining this figure.
The total number of full-time tourism and hospitality jobs supported in Blackpool has grown to 23,419 — a 5.3% increase on the previous year.
How Do You Get to the Blackpool Airshow 2026?
There are direct rail services to Blackpool North from Manchester, Liverpool, and York. Services from London Euston, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Edinburgh travel to Preston, from where there are approximately 4 trains per hour for the onward journey to Blackpool.
Travel options include:
- Train: Direct services from Manchester, Liverpool, and York to Blackpool North
- Car: Satnav postcode FY1 4BJ; early arrival recommended due to high demand for public car parks
- Tram: Blackpool trams run a split service during the event to accommodate the display box over the sea
Booking accommodation in advance is strongly recommended, as nearby hotels and guesthouses tend to fill up well before the event date. 2 Travelodge hotels operate in Blackpool, with a third located in Lytham St Annes, approximately 5 miles away.
What Is the Air Show Village at Blackpool?
The Air Show Village is set up between Central Pier and the Tower Festival Headland and typically hosts military stalls, flight simulators, and various food concessions to keep families entertained between the aerial displays.
The Air Show Village runs from 10:00am to 6:00pm on both days. It provides ground-level entertainment alongside the flying programme and is free to enter.
What Are the Key Facts About the Blackpool Airshow 2026?
|
Detail |
Information |
|
Dates |
Saturday 8 – Sunday 9 August 2026 |
|
Times |
10:00am – 5:00pm (displays); 10:00am – 6:00pm (village) |
|
Location |
Blackpool Promenade, FY1 4BJ |
|
Admission |
Free |
|
Organiser |
Visit Blackpool / R5 Air Displays Ltd |
|
Expected Attendance |
~350,000 visitors |
|
First Airshow |
1909 |
Is the Blackpool Airshow 2026 Worth Attending?
The Blackpool Airshow 2026 is a free, 2-day event with a confirmed RAF Typhoon display and expected appearances by the Red Arrows and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. It attracts approximately 350,000 visitors annually and has run in some form since 1909. It is one of the UK’s most attended free public aviation events.
Full display schedules and additional aircraft announcements are released by Visit Blackpool closer to the August 2026 date. Updated information is available at visitblackpool.com/airshow.
Alex Bradley is a UK-based aviation writer and airshow circuit regular who has spent years attending displays from RIAT at Fairford and the Biggin Hill Festival of Flight to small fly-ins that drew two hundred people and a hot dog van, and values both for entirely different reasons.
He is not a pilot. He is not a PR man for the aviation industry. He is the person in the crowd who has been coming long enough to notice when something has quietly changed, when an organiser is papering over a problem, and when a display is genuinely worth the drive.
His writing on Redhill Airshow covers the British airshow circuit, safety, display team politics, CAA regulations, and the quiet contraction of grass airfield culture that nobody in the industry wants to discuss plainly.
He has stood at Redhill Aerodrome in every kind of English summer weather, watched Tiger Moths bank low over Surrey farmland, and carries strong opinions about what this country is slowly losing one cancelled event at a time.