The Cleethorpes Airshow 2026 forms part of the North East Lincolnshire Armed Forces Day Weekend (AFD26) – a free 3-day event held from Friday 26 June to Sunday 28 June 2026 on Cleethorpes seafront, Lincolnshire, DN35 8YA. Confirmed aircraft include the RAF Typhoon and RAF Tutor Display Team, with the Red Arrows expected to perform. The event attracts approximately 250,000 visitors per year and is free to attend.
For official aviation safety context, see the UK Civil Aviation Authority. For the previous guide in this series, see Camping at Fairford Airshow 2026: Sites, Prices, Rules, and 3 Key Options.
What Is the Cleethorpes Airshow 2026?
The Cleethorpes Airshow 2026 is the flying display programme within the North East Lincolnshire Armed Forces Weekend (AFD26) – the area’s flagship annual event celebrating UK armed forces. The event combines flying displays with parades, military exhibitions, live performances, and capability demonstrations across the full length of the Cleethorpes seafront.
The event is organised by the Armed Forces Major Events Team (AFMET), led by Managing Director Alex Baxter. The Flying Display Director for 2026 is R5 Air Displays Ltd. Admission is completely free and the entire event is funded by sponsorship and donations. No ticket purchase is required.
The event has run annually since 2011 and has grown into one of the largest free Armed Forces events in the United Kingdom.
When and Where Is the Cleethorpes Airshow 2026?
- Dates: Friday 26 June to Sunday 28 June 2026
- Formal Armed Forces Day: Saturday 27 June 2026
- Location: Cleethorpes Seafront, North East Lincolnshire, DN35 8YA
- Admission: Free – donations welcome
- Funding: Entirely by sponsorship and donations
Flying displays take place across the seafront on Saturday and Sunday. The Friday programme includes build-up events and evening entertainment. The main national day parade and primary flying displays are delivered on Saturday.
Note on layout: The 2026 event coincides with major regeneration works in the centre of Cleethorpes. AFMET confirmed in February 2026 that the event will look different this year – changes to the positioning and layout of stages, attractions, and exhibitors are necessary. Key attractions including the flying displays, big wheel, land-based exhibitions, and the parade are expected to be retained, subject to sponsorship and funding.
What Aircraft Are Confirmed for Cleethorpes Airshow 2026?
Which Display Teams Are Flying at AFD26?
3 RAF display assets are confirmed or expected for the 2026 event:
- RAF Typhoon Display Team – confirmed. The Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 is a fourth-generation multirole combat aircraft powered by twin Eurojet EJ200 turbofan engines. It is capable of supersonic speeds exceeding Mach 1.8 and performs high-speed passes, vertical climbs, and low-level manoeuvres over the seafront.
- RAF Tutor Display Team – confirmed. The Grob Tutor T1 is the RAF’s primary training aircraft. The display team performs formation flying and aerobatic sequences, showcasing the skills developed in RAF pilot training.
- Red Arrows – expected. The RAF Aerobatic Team has performed at Cleethorpes at every Armed Forces Weekend since the event’s launch. In 2022 and 2025 they appeared on both Saturday and Sunday. No formal confirmation for 2026 has been published at the time of writing, but their appearance is consistent with the event’s history.
Historic aircraft from past editions have included the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Lancaster, Spitfire, and Hurricane. The Royal Navy Black Cats helicopter display team has also appeared in previous years. Further aircraft announcements are expected closer to the event date.
What Is the Full Programme at the Cleethorpes Armed Forces Weekend 2026?
What Events Happen Across the 3 Days?
The AFD26 programme covers the full length of the Cleethorpes seafront and includes:
- Flying displays – Saturday and Sunday afternoons
- Armed Forces parade – led by military bands, veterans, cadets, and serving personnel
- Military village – equipment, vehicles, and personnel from all 3 armed services
- Capability demonstrations – live showcases of UK Armed Forces equipment
- Live music and stage performances – across multiple stages along the seafront
- Big Wheel – located at the Leisure Centre car park
- Battle re-enactment – held at Meridian Park
- Sunset ceremony – held at the Knoll Roundabout Remembrance Gate
- Carnival parade – starting from the top of Sea Road, running via Alexandra Road and Kings Parade
The 2025 parade was led by the Band of the Coldstream Guards, marking their 375th anniversary. Full programme details for 2026 will be published on the AFMET website at afmet.co.uk closer to the event.
What Is the History of the Cleethorpes Armed Forces Airshow?
When Did the Cleethorpes Armed Forces Weekend Start?
The North East Lincolnshire Armed Forces Weekend started in 2011. It has run every year since and grown consistently in size, attendance, and aircraft programme.
Key milestones include:
| Year | Milestone |
| 2011 | First North East Lincolnshire Armed Forces Weekend |
| 2016 | First National Armed Forces Day – VIP guests included PM David Cameron and the Duke of Kent |
| 2022 | Red Arrows, Typhoon, BBMF, and Royal Navy Black Cats all appeared |
| 2025 | Second National Armed Forces Day hosted at Cleethorpes – 300,000 visitors expected |
| 2026 | AFD26 – 3rd year running as 3-day event; layout adapts around seafront regeneration works |
In 2025, Cleethorpes became only the second location in its history to host the National Armed Forces Day twice. The Ministry of Defence awarded the event national status and an additional £50,000 in funding from central government. The 2025 event attracted a crowd expected at 300,000 – described by organisers as larger than Glastonbury by attendance.
The AFD events are delivered by a team of unpaid volunteers. AFMET confirmed that the 15-year record of successful delivery has been achieved without paid staff, relying entirely on community dedication and corporate sponsorship.
Why Does the Cleethorpes Airshow Draw 250,000 Visitors Per Year?
3 factors account for the event’s consistent attendance:
- Free admission – no tickets, no entry fee, and no booking required for any part of the main event
- Seafront setting – the natural coastal layout of Cleethorpes creates long sightlines along the beach, allowing aircraft to be viewed from a wide stretch of the promenade without a dedicated viewing area
- Programme breadth – flying displays run alongside military exhibitions, live music, fairground rides, parades, and re-enactments, giving the event broad appeal across age groups
MP Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes) confirmed that Armed Forces Day draws approximately a quarter of a million visitors every year, making it one of the highest-attended free community events in the East Midlands and Yorkshire regions.
How Do You Get to the Cleethorpes Airshow 2026?
- Address: Cleethorpes Seafront, North East Lincolnshire, DN35 8YA
- By rail: Cleethorpes station is the eastern terminus of the TransPennine Express and Northern Rail lines from Sheffield, Doncaster, and Leeds. The station is a 5-minute walk from the seafront.
- By road: Cleethorpes is accessible via the A180 from the west and the A16 from the south. Road closures apply on event days – check AFMET’s website for updated traffic and parking information.
- Parking: Car parking options are published on the dedicated Armed Forces Weekend web page ahead of the event. Multiple car parks serve the seafront area.
- Donations: The event is free but relies on public donations. Collection points are available throughout the event site.
Sources: Armed Forces Major Events Team (afmet.co.uk), North East Lincolnshire Council (nelincs.gov.uk), Discover North East Lincolnshire, Armed Forces Day official website, Flightline UK, Military-Airshows.co.uk, Grimsby Live.
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.
