The Little Gransden Air & Car Show 2026 is a 1-day charity aviation and vehicle event held on Sunday 30 August 2026 at Little Gransden Airfield, Fullers Hill Farm, Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, SG19 3BP. It is the highest fundraiser in the East of England for the BBC Children in Need Appeal.
For official aviation safety context, see the UK Civil Aviation Authority. For the previous guide in this series, see Biggin Hill Airshow 2026: Heritage Hangar, History, and What to Expect.
What Is the Little Gransden Air & Car Show?
The Little Gransden Air & Car Show is Cambridgeshire’s annual charity aviation and classic vehicle event, combining over 3.5 hours of flying displays with more than 300 vehicle exhibitors, live music, trade stalls, and a dusk firework display.
The show takes place every year on August Bank Holiday Sunday. It is organised entirely by an unpaid volunteer team and raises funds for BBC Children in Need and local children’s charities. Since its first event in 1992, the show has raised over £400,000 in total for these causes.
Flying Display Director for 2026 is Al Lockwood. The airfield is owned and operated by renowned aerobatic pilot Mark Jefferies, who also leads the Global Stars aerobatic display team based at the site.
When and Where Is the Little Gransden Airshow 2026?
- Date: Sunday 30 August 2026
- Venue: Little Gransden Airfield, Fullers Hill Farm, Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, SG19 3BP
- Format: 1-day event (flying displays concentrated in the afternoon)
- Re-entry: Permitted — wristbands must be retained
The airfield is a small grass strip nestled among the farmland of Cambridgeshire, close to the former WWII bomber base at Gransden Lodge, now home to the Cambridge Gliding Centre.
What Charity Does the Little Gransden Airshow Support?
BBC Children in Need is the primary beneficiary of the Little Gransden Air & Car Show. The 2024 event raised £20,000, making it the highest single-event fundraiser in the East of England for the annual appeal.
Funds also support local charities, groups, and schools within a 5-mile radius of the airfield.
The show’s charity origins trace directly to its founder. Dave Poile MBE launched the first event in 1992 after his daughter was treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge while BBC Children in Need aired on television. At that first show, it rained all day. No aircraft flew. The event raised just £7. The show has run every year since, growing from that beginning into one of the most consistent charity aviation events in the UK.
What Flying Displays Are at the Little Gransden Airshow?
What Types of Aircraft Appear at the Show?
The Little Gransden Air & Car Show features over 3.5 hours of non-stop flying from 4 main aircraft categories:
- Warbirds — including Spitfires, Mustangs, Lancasters, and B-17 Flying Fortress “Sally B”
- Aerobatic teams — including the GlobalStars Aerobatic Formation Team and solo competition aerobatics
- Vintage and classic aircraft — including biplanes, interwar executive types, and WWI-era aircraft
- Modern RAF participation — including fast jets and military display teams
What Was Notable About the 2025 Display?
The 2025 edition featured the European flying display debut of the Douglas A-26C Invader ‘Sweet Eloise II’, owned by Polish entrepreneur Marcin Kubrak. The show is recognised for securing rare aircraft rarely seen at other UK events.
Past notable displays have included the Avro Vulcan XH558, Canadian CP-140 Aurora flypast, and simultaneous appearances from 3 of the UK’s 4-engine bombers — the Lancaster, B-17 Flying Fortress, and Vulcan — in a single programme. The 2025 show also featured the Airco DH9, a genuine First World War bomber from the Historic Aircraft Collection, paired with a Fokker Dr1 replica.
What Is the GlobalStars Aerobatic Team?
The GlobalStars Aerobatic Formation Team is based at Little Gransden Airfield. The team performs a 3-ship formation display at the show, followed by a competition freestyle aerobatics routine by Mark Jefferies in his Extra 330SC. Yakovlev aircraft — including Yak-50 and Yak-52 types — are synonymous with Little Gransden, as Jefferies was at the forefront of importing Yakovlev aircraft into the UK through his YAK UK company.
What Are the Ground Attractions at the Little Gransden Airshow 2026?
What Vehicles Are on Display?
Over 300 classic, custom, historic, vintage, and ex-military vehicles are displayed across the site. Examples include pre-war motorcycles, WWII military transport, 1950s and 1960s saloons, custom builds, and vintage tractors.
Additional ground attractions include:
- Stationary engines and scale model aircraft
- Glider and rare F1 aircraft racer displays
- Cambridge Bomber and Fighter Society static aircraft, including Hawker Fury and Hawker Hurricane restorations
- Trade stalls, craft stands, and food vendors
- Licensed bar, BBQ, hog roast, fish and chips, ice cream
- Live music throughout the day and into the evening
- Dusk firework display
VIP tickets are available, providing dedicated hospitality with table service during the flying display.
What Is the History of Little Gransden Airshow?
How Did the Little Gransden Airshow Start?
The Little Gransden Air & Car Show started in 1992 with a handful of cars and a single flying act. The first event raised £7 after rain stopped all flying.
Key milestones in the show’s development:
|
Year |
Milestone |
|
1992 |
First event held; raised £7 in rain with no flying |
|
2005 |
Established as one of the major UK charity airshows |
|
2012 |
20th anniversary; Lancaster, B-17, and Vulcan XH558 appeared together |
|
2022 |
Over £400,000 raised in total since 1992 — confirmed highest East England fundraiser |
|
2024 |
Raised £20,000; confirmed highest single-event East England CiN fundraiser |
|
2025 |
European debut of Douglas A-26C Invader ‘Sweet Eloise II’ |
|
2026 |
34th annual edition on 30 August |
What Makes the Little Gransden Airshow Different From Other UK Airshows?
Is Little Gransden a Volunteer-Run Airshow?
Yes. The show is organised entirely by an unpaid volunteer team. No committee members receive payment. The relaxed, garden-party atmosphere of the event — with traders and live music in open farm hangars overlooking the grass runway — distinguishes it from larger commercial airshows.
BritishAirshows.com describes the event as a “nostalgic trip back to the age of the local small airstrip airshows that once took place around the country and were the backbone of the UK air display scene.”
3 features separate Little Gransden from comparable UK events:
- Combined format — aviation and classic vehicle display run simultaneously, covering both audiences in a single admission
- Charity transparency — 100% of volunteer effort is unpaid; all surplus funding goes directly to BBC Children in Need and local causes
- Rare aircraft access — the show consistently presents aircraft not seen at larger UK venues, including interwar types, competition aerobatic aircraft, and WWII rarities
How Do You Get Tickets for the Little Gransden Airshow 2026?
Tickets are available online at the official Little Gransden Air & Car Show website. Early bird tickets are offered at a reduced rate ahead of the event date.
Key ticketing facts:
- Children are welcome — the event is family-focused
- Dogs are permitted on leads throughout the day
- Drones are not permitted — the airfield is a safety-restricted zone
- Re-entry is allowed on the day with a wristband
- VIP tickets include table service and dedicated hospitality during flying displays
The show continues even in wet weather. Displays may be adjusted for safety, but the event does not cancel due to rain.
How Do You Get to Little Gransden Airshow 2026?
- Address: Little Gransden Airfield, Fullers Hill Farm, Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, SG19 3BP
- Parking: Available on site and signposted from surrounding roads
- Nearest town: Sandy, Bedfordshire (approximately 3 miles)
- Rail: The nearest train stations are Sandy and St Neots on the East Midlands Railway line
Ear defenders are recommended for younger children during aircraft displays.
Sources: Little Gransden Airshow official website, Military-Airshows.co.uk, BritishAirshows.com, Flightline UK / Air-Shows.org.uk, The Hunts Post.
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.