Category: Press-Release

The 16th Bournemouth Air Festival is preparing to take-off, with a host of enthralling flying displays, ground entertainment and activities planned for this year’s three-day event.

Bournemouth Air Festival, which runs from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 August this year, attracts thousands to Bournemouth’s award-winning beaches every year.

The festival will see several new displays on show, including two formidable Swedish fighter jets – the Saab Viggen and Saab Draken – who will perform on all three days.

The Red Devils Army Parachute Display Team, which played an important role in the historic D-Day landings 80 years ago, will also perform.

Several flying favourites will also return to Bournemouth’s skies, including the Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon, Rich Goodwin’s Jet Pitts muscle bi-plane, the AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers and Otto the Helicopter – who’s come out of retirement to dazzle Bournemouth’s crowds once more.

As well as the usual fun fair and ground entertainment, an outdoor cinema located on the beach is new to this year’s event, as well as a virtual-reality RNLI Lifeboat experience situated in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Village.

The expanded STEM Village has moved to a prime location at the bottom of the East Cliff Zigzag, and will showcase the latest advancements on land, sea, air and even space.

Five local secondary schoolchildren from Bournemouth School for Girls (BSG) will be exhibiting their innovative robots at the village, before flying to Greece to represent Great Britain in the ‘Olympics for Robots’ – the first all-girls team from the UK to do so.

Amanda Barrie, Festival Director at Bournemouth Air Festival, said:

“We are excited to welcome crowds of residents and visitors down to Bournemouth’s seafront for the 16th Bournemouth Air Festival.

“It looks to be beautiful weather this weekend, so please keep hydrated by refilling your water bottles at the free water stations along the promenade.

“I would like to thank all BCP Council staff and our partners for their tremendous support in putting on a safe, friendly and welcoming festival.

“I would particularly like to thank the Emergency Services including the RNLI, Dorset Police The South West Ambulance Service, The Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Brigade, the Coastguard and Poole Harbour Commissioners.

“Special thanks of course go to the Armed Forces – the RAF, the Royal Navy, the Army, and the Royal Marines, all of whom play their part in creating extraordinary entertainment.

“I wish everyone a successful, enjoyable and safe Bournemouth Air Festival in 2024.”

Councillor Millie Earl, Leader of BCP Council, said:

“We understand people are keen to know what’s happening with the Bournemouth Air Festival after this year’s event.

“A lot of work has gone into the Bournemouth Air Festival 2024 – thank you to all our partners who have worked with us to pull off what will be a fantastic event.

“We’re currently scoping plans for a potential future air festival and have been honest that, bearing in mind the financial challenges we are facing as a council, this is the last year of a council funded air show.

“We have talked to several potential operators for future years, but any decision needs to go through the full democratic process. No decision has been made yet and a report is due to go to the council’s cabinet in the autumn.

“A potential future operator could decide to pause the production of an air festival in 2025 to allow time to plan and refresh the event for 2026. We will update residents, businesses and visitors as soon as we can.”

In 2024, residents and visitors can give a voluntary donation of £2, £5 or £10 to help support a calendar of exciting future events and activities.

Donations can be given online when ordering the commemorative 80th anniversary D-Day programme, which will contain a unique code that also provides access to the up-to-date flying schedule, or in person at any one of eight selected seafront kiosks.

 

The 10-day countdown is on for the start of Bournemouth Air Festival 2024, as an exciting line up of aerobatics and new entertainment is announced.

Spectators can contribute to future community and cultural activities in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) by donating at this year’s free festival – which runs for three days from Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 August.

Spectators can also donate online from today (Monday 19 August) when they purchase this year’s commemorative souvenir brochure. Donations are also being accepted on site at eight selected seafront kiosks.

The money raised will be used by BCP Council to fund future leisure, community and cultural activities across the area.

Bournemouth Air Festival attracts more than 400,000 visitors every year who come to enjoy the aerial acrobatics, ground entertainment and displays, fun fair and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Village across the region’s award-winning beaches.

New entertainment at this year’s event will see an outdoor cinema located on the beach, a virtual-reality RNLI Lifeboat experience situated in the STEM village, and two Swedish historic fighter jets – the Saab Viggen and Saab Draken, make their inaugural festival appearance.

Popular crowd favourites including the AeroSuperBatics WingWalkers and Rich Goodwin’s Jet Pitts Muscle Biplane will also be back in action this year.

Flight times for the highly anticipated RAF Typhoon have also been announced, with the jet set to take to the skies six times in a mix of day and dusk displays: Thursday 29 August at 4.30pm and 7.42pm; Friday 30 August at 4.10pm and 7.40pm; and Saturday 31 at 5.24pm and 7.35pm.

Councillor Richard Herrett, Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations at BCP Council said:

“We’re excited that the 16th Bournemouth Air Festival is just 10 days away, but, due to the tough financial climate, we have had to find innovative ways to fund these types of events going forward.

“Donations given at this year’s festival will help fund a diverse future calendar of leisure, community and cultural activities for all to enjoy.

“This will help us to make greater use of our beautiful outdoor spaces, as well as encourage more people to be active and enjoy our cultural offering. It will also help drive further visits to our fantastic three towns and connect residents in our vibrant communities, all while supporting the local economy in the process.

“My thanks go to anyone who can make a donation this year.”

This is the last year the Bournemouth Air Festival will be managed and run by BCP Council, with officers exploring the ongoing, sustainable management of the event.

To find out more about donating at Bournemouth Air Festival, please visit: Donations – Bournemouth Air Festival

To purchase this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival Official Souvenir programme, with an optional donation of £2, £5 or £10, please visit: See Tickets – Programmes For The 2024 Bournemouth Air Festival Tickets | OFFICIAL SOUVENIR PROGRAMME

 

Two formidable Swedish fighter jets are set to perform a stunning aerial display during this year’s three-day Bournemouth Air Festival, on Thursday 29 – Saturday 31 August.

The Saab Viggen and Saab Draken are the latest aircraft to be unveiled for the 16^th festival and it will be the first time these renowned aircraft will have flown at the event together.

This year boasts a strong line up of air displays, led by the RAF’s Typhoon, which has been repainted to mark 80 years since the D-Day landings, the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.

The Red Devils, the Army’s world-class parachute display team, also played a historic role in the D-Day landings and will be performing at this year’s festival.

Festival goers can also look forward to displays from the B-17 “Sally B” Flying Fortress, the last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe, and crowd favourites the AeroSuperBatics WingWalkers and Rich Goodwin in his Jet Pitts Muscle Biplane.

Councillor Millie Earl, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Connected Communities, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council said:

“We are thrilled to have the Saab Viggen and Draken jets at this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival, alongside an exciting line up of other iconic aircraft.

“There will be entertainment on the ground, including a bigger interactive Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Village, an Armed Forces village, fairground rides, food stalls, a dive tank, fireworks and more.”

The Saab Viggen and Saab Draken will be sponsored by Aerobytes, a flight-safety company based in UK, who will also be supporting Rich Goodwin’s Jet Pitts.

Aerobytes director Eddie Forrester said: “These historic jets are quite unlike anything most UK audiences will have seen before.  They look like something from Star Wars and are – shall we say – a tad noisy.  Bring your ear plugs!”

A full list of the sensational aerial displays planned for 2024 will feature in this year’s special souvenir programme, available to purchase soon from a wide selection of local retailers, or to pre-order now at: bournemouthair.co.uk/programme

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has worked with the business community to sustainably fund and manage the festival in 2024 and beyond, through a mixture of sponsorship and other commercial activity.

The council is currently making good progress towards its funding target having secured South Western Railway as a prime sponsor for this year’s air festival.

The air festival team are keen to hear from other sponsors, traders and exhibitors who would like to be a part of the 2024 festival.

Interested parties should email Ali Perrins, Event Manager, at alison.perrins@bcpcouncil.gov.uk or apply online here: bournemouthair.co.uk/commercial/

View the sponsorship prospectus here on the Air Festival website.

 

 

Image credits: (left) Paul Johnson (Flightline UK) , (right) swafhf.com

Bournemouth Air Festival is giving visitors the opportunity of guaranteed, convenient, and stress-free parking at this year’s three-day event taking place Thursday 29 – Saturday 31 August.

Festival-goers can beat the queues and book a premium car parking bay for the day in advance of the event with premium parking.

Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council is launching the premium parking scheme whereby drivers can guarantee a parking space at one of two car parks located very close to all the air festival action.

Bath Road South is next to Pier Approach and overlooks Bournemouth Beach, while Eden Glen is a five-minute walk to the air festival site.

Booking and payment is simple via the RingGo mobile app or website, using the premium location codes, which can be found on the Bournemouth Air Festival website.

A premium parking space means visitors will be located conveniently close to the beach, trading stalls, hospitality tents, funfairs, military villages, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) tent, beachside cinema and the day and night flying displays.

All information about this year’s air event can be found in the official 2024 Bournemouth Air Festival brochure which will be on sale from the beginning of August, available to pre-order now.

Cllr Millie Earl, Deputy Leader, and Portfolio Holder for Connected Communities, BCP Council, said: “Premium parking gives visitors the option of getting a guaranteed, hassle-free parking space and you can arrive whatever time you want knowing you’ve got somewhere to park. It will also contribute to our promise of delivering an efficient and sustainably funded festival this year.

“I would like to reassure people that there will still be plenty of regular parking availability for everyone across Bournemouth throughout the air festival.

“If you want to leave the car at home, I would also encourage people to think about other easy ways of getting to Bournemouth – by train, bus, a community Beryl Bike, on foot or why not take advantage of the Park and Ride programme on Friday and Saturday?”

The scheme is also open to all drivers, including electric vehicles with some charging bays, and Blue Badge holders.

Editor’s Notes

To find out more about premium parking, visit the Bournemouth Air Festival website: www.bournemouthair.co.uk/plan-your-visit/premium-parking

To book a premium parking spot download the RingGo app or go online at  www.myringgo.co.uk

To pre-order the 2024 Bournemouth Air Festival Brochure go to www.bournemouthair.co.uk/programme

For information about Park and Ride go to www.bournemouthair.co.uk/plan-your-visit/getting-here

For information about buses go to www.morebus.co.uk

For information on trains go to www.southwesternrailway.com

For information on Beryl Bikes and scooters go to www.beryl.cc

Dates for this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival have been announced, presenting an opportunity for businesses and sponsors to participate in the world’s biggest land and air festival by the sea.  

Bournemouth Air Festival, organised by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, will return on Thursday 29 August – Saturday 31 August this year.   

Another jam-packed programme of world-class aerobatic displays will take to the skies, while plenty of entertainment for all ages will be accessible along 1.5 miles of award-winning coastline. 

Fairground rides, Pier to Pier trading, fireworks, vintage displays, demonstrations from the Army and Navy, exciting night air displays and plenty more is all to be expected at this year’s festival.  

The landmark event is also hoping to inspire budding engineers with an enhanced STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) Village on the beach. Further to its success in 2023, the innovation-inspired village will feature unique demonstrations and displays from industry-leading companies, both local and national.  

Across four days, more than 600,000 people attended the last Bournemouth Air Festival. Over 11,000 copies of the official programme were sold; Bournemouth Air Festival social media accounts, which boast a combined following of more than 110,000 people, achieved over 1.8 million engagements; and the dedicated webpage was visited by over 1.4 million users.  

Participating brands and sponsors, which have previously included Porsche, Sunseeker, Rowse and Marriott, each benefitted from the equivalent of £3.5 million in advertising value, while the festival itself was detailed in over 1,400 items of coverage from local, national and international media.  

BCP Council is now inviting sponsors, traders and exhibitors to come forward to register interest in being part of this year’s festival, which has the largest single audience of any aviation event in Europe. 

As only a limited number of spaces are available, we advise registering interest early to avoid disappointment.  

Amanda Barrie, Director of Commercial Operations at BCP Council, said:  

“With its iconic planes, aerobatics, plentiful entertainment and welcoming family-friendly atmosphere, Bournemouth Air Festival is a fantastic finale to the summer, drawing in crowds far and wide. 

“This year we’re planning to make the festival even more memorable; listen out for further announcements regarding the event programme in the coming months.” 

Councillor Millie Earl, Portfolio Holder for Tourism at BCP Council, continued:  

“Bournemouth Air Festival marks a huge opportunity for sponsors, traders and exhibitors to get in front of consumers, grow and bring fresh eyes to their brand. The festival has the potential to bring a wealth of opportunities, whether your business is local, national or international.  

“Whether you choose to sponsor display acts or the STEM Village, take a prime trading location on the cliff or beach, or have your brand featured in the widely sold official festival programme, the event is a chance to make meaningful connections and develop new relationships.” 

Since last Summer, BCP Council has prioritised working with businesses and external organisations to operate a collaboratively funded, sustainable festival in 2024. 

Looking forward, the council is now inviting expressions of interest from operators to manage and deliver Bournemouth Air Festival in its entirety from 2025 onwards, enabling forward-thinking businesses and organisations to take the lead in continually growing, developing and building the event into a one of a kind ‘Festival of the Air’ spectacle. 

Councillor Earl added: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity to run, grow and shape an impactful event that has made a significant contribution to the local tourism economy over its remarkable 16-year history.  

“Consistently attracting over half a million visitors, Bournemouth Air Festival boasts an eclectic atmosphere, with day and evening air displays and entertainment attracting a broad demographic. If you think your business could help to grow and develop the festival, and the festival could help you to grow and develop your business, we’d love to hear from you.” 

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to the business community, council officers and BCP Cabinet members who, amid passionate public appeal, have worked together on these plans to organise a sustainably funded festival this year, and in years moving forward.  

“Our area is built on a visitor economy and these plans are about supporting the businesses that depend on the festival with a sustainable, long-term strategy. We also recognise the cultural value it brings in making the area a great place to live, work and play, and I’m excited to see what the future will bring.”  

Sponsors, traders and exhibitors who would like to register interest in being part of the festival in 2024, should email Ali Perrins, Event Manager, at alison.perrins@bcpcouncil.gov.uk or apply online here: bournemouthair.co.uk/commercial/ 

View the sponsorship prospectus here on the Air Festival website. 

Parties interested in managing the and delivering the Bournemouth Air Festival from 2025 onwards must express an interest through the Council’s eTendering website (ProContract).  

The deadline for expressions of interest is 2pm on Friday 01 March 2024.  

 

Editor’s notes:              

Press Information:  email Julia.bullas@bcpcouncil.gov.uk 

Commercial and sponsorship opportunities: email alison.perrins@bcpcouncil.gov.uk  

For more details visit bournemouthair.co.uk or follow the Air Festival crew on social media #bmthairfest 

Facebook: @bournemouthairfestival, Instagram: @bmthairfest, Twitter: @BmthAirFest   

The fifteenth Bournemouth Air Festival launches today (31 August) with crowd favourites the Red Arrows and Typhoon making a welcome return. 

Organised by BCP Council the festival is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the town over four days. 

Visitors can see performances from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight planes, the Chinook helicopter, the Rolls Royce XIX Spitfire, P-51 Mustang and Fairey Swordfish biplane. 

There will also be a debut from the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco plane. 

In a first for the festival, cheesemakers Boursin have teamed up with Great British Bake-off star, Manon Lagrève, to create a bistro on the beach, between Who Dares Gyms and El Murrino beach restaurant. 

Diners are encouraged to pay what they can, with all donations going to Nationwide charity FoodCycle.  

Festival goers can also enjoy Madame MOJO’s Cabaret Club which will be offering family-friendly performances throughout the four days, alongside funfairs, big screens showing films and 1.5 miles of food and drink stalls. 

Those who can’t make the event in person can also watch all the fun of the festival with the official free live-streaming of the event by Aeroview.tv. 

Portfolio Holder for Connected Communities and Tourism, Cllr Millie Earl, said: “This family-friendly event showcases our beautiful coastline and is yet another reason for visitors to come and explore our unique towns of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.  

“Buy our souvenir Coronation programme where you can read more about our three towns’ connections to aviation with STEM pioneer Charles Rolls, who co-founded Rolls Royce, and the Wright brothers renowned for history’s first flight. 

“Congratulations again to our future pioneers – the winners of our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) competition for Primary School children in Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole.  

“They will be meeting the world-famous Red Arrows pilots at the festival and will be taken on a tour of the Ultra Energy STEM Village, as part of their prize. 

“While we want everyone to have fun at our festival, please help keep our beautiful seafront clean by recycling and disposing of your rubbish responsibly. Travel by bus, bike or scooter if you can and help us create a greener festival.” 

Air Festival Director Jon Weaver said: “The festival wouldn’t be the renowned attraction that it is without the many organisations, groups and individuals who plan, organise and deliver it every year.   

“I would particularly like to thank our partners at Dorset Police, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, the HM Coastguard, Poole Harbour Commissioners, the RNLI and South Western Ambulance Services along with our other multi agency partners – all of whom have worked so hard to make the Air Festival an enjoyable and safe event. 

“Of course, I am always very grateful for the amazing help we receive from our colleagues across BCP Council – all of whom work tirelessly behind the scenes putting together this incredible programme. 

“The incredible aircraft provided by the Armed Forces on the ground and in the air play a huge part in attracting the many visitors to the festival over the four days. 

“Lastly, but by no means least, an enormous thank you goes to all our sponsors, including Bournemouth Airport, Thales, Oceana Hotels and Restaurants, Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel, Ultra Energy, the Air Festival Patron, Porsche Centre Bournemouth and South West Trains as well the traders who taking part in the festival this year.” 

Returning to the festival will be the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, who will be performing the Beat Retreat Sunset Ceremony in the Lower Gardens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6.45pm. They will again perform on Sunday morning from11am-12pm 

The Commando Recruiting Team will be giving Unarmed Combat demonstrations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6.20pm. 

Editor’s notes: 

Watch the official free live-streaming of the event at Aeroview.tv/Bournemouth  

You can get up to date access to the full Flying programme by purchasing the Coronation Souvenir programme here. 

For more information on Morebus routes through the festival see here. Thanks to the current government bus subsidies, the fare is £2 per single journey, so it’s cheaper than ever to travel by bus and a greener way too.  

For more information on train strikes, please visit the South Western Railway website. 

Buy tickets to Madame Mojo’s Cabaret club here. 

For information on what BCP Council are doing to make the festival more sustainable, please see here. 

There’s still time to snap up the last few VIP hospitality tickets for the best view of the festival here. 

For more information on the displays and aircraft as they are being announced please go to the Bournemouth Air Festival website or stay up to date on social media: Facebook: @bournemouthairfestival, Instagram: bmthairfest, Twitter: @BmthAirFest   

Press Information: Julia.bullas@bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Commercial and sponsorship opportunities: cara.donn@bcpcouncil.gov.uk   

Bournemouth Air Festival organisers are keen to remind everyone of the air and sea activity restrictions that are in place throughout the four-day event.

From Thursday, 31 August – Sunday, 3 September, drones are strictly banned from flying at the event site in the restricted airspace, to protect participating aircraft and display teams.

Anyone caught flying a drone during this time can face prosecution by Dorset Police. At last year’s event, counter-drone police officers detected nine drones flying within the festival air space with pilots having their drones seized and were subject to positive police action.

A marine safety zone has been set up which prohibits boats from entering the sea below the flight display area, with marine patrols making sure everyone sticks to the rules.

This year’s festival, organised by BCP Council, includes an exciting programme of aerobatic displays and on-land entertainment.

Jon Weaver, Festival Director, BCP Council said: “Keeping everyone safe and following the relevant guidance is so important to the successful running of any festival.

“Behind the scenes, a huge workforce is coming together to ensure everything runs smoothly for the visitors, traders, pilots, military personnel, press, and everyone else attending the Air Festival, with safety the key priority underpinning the whole event.

“From the essential air restrictions that are in place to the marine safety zone, we have an extensive and robust event plan that covers all aspects of the operations, and we work alongside Dorset Police and other emergency services to provide the best possible experience for people attending.

“Any restrictions are put in place for everyone’s safety, so we can all have an enjoyable time at this event.”

People who want to have fun on the beach are being encouraged to follow the RNLI’s beach safety advice if entering the water which includes swimming between the red and yellow lifeguard flags and following their essential Float to Live guidance.

If anyone spots something suspicious, they’re being encouraged to follow the ‘See it, Say it, Sorted’ mantra and report it to a Police or Security Officer, Beach Ranger or member of the Events Team.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan, Gold Commander said: “Our multi-agency approach includes high visibility patrols by uniformed officers, armed police and security staff as well as CCTV monitoring.

“We want to welcome everyone to come and enjoy the air festival responsibly while reminding them to be vigilant and report anything suspicious.

“Overall, it’s about keeping everyone safe on the land, in the sea and in the skies, so those visiting the event can have a fantastic time over the four days.”

With impressive flying and aerobatics, stunning night displays and plenty of activities on land, hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to descend on Bournemouth’s seafront over the four days to enjoy this free event.

Families can also take advantage of the Allianz KidZone beach safety scheme to protect lost children on the seafront, and visitors are being reminded to keep hydrated by refilling their bottles at the water stations along the promenade.

-Ends-

Notes to Editors

• • The Air Restrictions map can be found by visiting: EG_Circ_2023_M_088_en.pdf (bournemouthair.co.uk)
  • The marine safety zone map can be found by visiting: BAF23-EP2-Marine-Safety-Zone-map-2023.pdf (bournemouthair.co.uk)
  • The RNLI’s beach safety advice can be found by visiting: RNLI Beach Safety – Top Five Tips To Stay Safe By The Sea
  • The RNLI’s Float to Live guidance can be found here: Float To Live – What To Do In An Emergency – RNLI
  • More information on the Allianz KidZone scheme can be found here: Allianz KidZone Bournemouth – Bournemouth

The countdown is on for the Bournemouth Air Festival as more displays and attractions are announced. 

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to visit the town on 31 August for the free four-day event. 

In a first for the festival, the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco plane will join the line up and making their debut will be the Starlings Aerobatic team, who will bring a two aircraft aerobatic display to the event. 

Visitors will be treated to a new performance by former RAF Tornado pilot Richard Goodwin in his unique G-JPIT bi-plane, which he has recently reengineered to include two ATM Lynx Jet engines. 

Making a welcome return will be the Yakovlev 50 and the Norwegian Historical Squadron with their classic jet the deHavilland Vampire FB.52  

The Night Air programme will include The Firebirds Display Team and Otto the Schweizer 300C helicopter with their vibrant pyrotechnics, not forgetting the Typhoon with its roaring night display. 

Back on land, and in another first for the festival, Madame MOJO’s Cabaret Club will be offering performances throughout the four days. 

Visitors can also take advantage of funfairs, big screens showing films and 1.5 miles of food and drink stalls. 

⁠Portfolio Holder for Connected Communities and Tourism, Cllr Millie Earl, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back for this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival.  

“An incredible amount of work has gone into ensuring this event will be fun for everyone. 

Festival Director Jon Weaver said: “We encourage everyone to travel sustainably to the festival and try the Park and Ride, walk or cycle their own bike or a Beryl bike to the festival.  

“If you are from out of town, we have some excellent coach operators offering great prices down to the festival. 

“We’ve been made aware of planned strike action on the trains on Saturday 2 September and we are waiting for confirmation on how this will affect trains. Please check the South Western Railway website for more information. 

“While enjoying the festival, please help keep our beautiful seafront clean by recycling and disposing of your rubbish responsibly and leaving only footprints.” 

Also returning to the festival will be the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, who will be performing Sunday morning 11am-12pm and the Beat Retreat Sunset Ceremony in the Lower Gardens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6.45pm. 

The Commando Recruiting Team will be giving Unarmed Combat demonstrations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6.20pm. 

Crowd favourites the Red Arrows will perform at 5.30pm on Thursday, 5pm on Friday and Saturday and 2.45pm on Sunday. You can get up to date access to the full Flying programme by purchasing the Coronation Souvenir programme here. 

The RAF Typhoon will display each day and the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster will perform the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. 

There’s still time to snap up the last few VIP hospitality tickets for the best view of the festival here. 

Editor’s notes: 

For more information on Morebus routes through the festival see here. Thanks to the current government bus subsidies, the fare is £2 per single journey, so it’s cheaper than ever to travel by bus and a greener way too.  

For more information on train strikes, please visit the South Western Railway website. 

Buy tickets to Madame Mojo’s Cabaret club here. 

For information on what BCP Council are doing to make the festival more sustainable, please see here. 

For more information on the displays and aircraft as they are being announced please go to the Bournemouth Air Festival website or stay up to date on social media: Facebook: @bournemouthairfestival, Instagram: bmthairfest, Twitter: @BmthAirFest   

Press Information: Julia.bullas@bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Commercial and sponsorship opportunities: cara.donn@bcpcouncil.gov.uk   

Primary school children who won a competition to inspire future engineers will get to meet the Red Arrows at this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival.

Six winners from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole primary schools won the competition to design a paper aeroplane.

They will now meet the world class RAF pilots at this year’s free four-day event, organised by BCP Council.

The winners will be taken on a tour of the festival’s Ultra Energy STEM Village (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), which features exciting demonstrations from local STEM companies.

All primary schools in the BCP Council area were also invited to an exclusive Question and Answer online event with the Red Arrows in late June.

About 130 classes and 3,300 children took part in the event, which featured Flt Lt Patrick Kershaw from the Red Arrows and promoted the Ultra Energy STEM Village.

The pilot, known as Red 5, spoke about his fondness for Bournemouth and how he would be looking forward to seeing the children wave as he flew over for this year’s air festival.

A spokesperson from Stourfield Infants School said: “Thank you for giving our school the opportunity to take part in today’s Q and A with Red 5.

“The children have been talking about it all day. He has truly inspired a whole school, so many aspiring to be a Red Arrows’ pilot.

“We’ve had lots of paper aeroplane making in Sparkle Time this afternoon, the playground was definitely a very busy runway!”

One winner of the paper aeroplane competition was Dylan Goodman from Winton Primary School, whose brightly coloured design caught the attention of the judges.

Dylan’s mother Sarah Goodman said: “Dylan is aviation mad, and it’s been his dream for as long I can remember to join the RAF and be a Red Arrow pilot, so this is an incredible opportunity for him!”

He will join winners from Heatherlands Primary School, Parkfield School, St Clement’s and St John’s Infant School, Talbot Heath and Christchurch Infants.

Councillor Richard Burton, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, said: “This community engagement has really helped us inspire the next generation of schoolchildren into STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

“If you’re a budding engineer, or you’re just interested in how things work, please do visit the Ultra Energy STEM Village at this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival.

“It will feature games and interactive displays on topics such as virtual reality, lifeboats that save lives at sea and zero-carbon technology.

“Some of the region and nation’s top experts specialising in various STEM sectors will be there, such as the RNLI and Rolls Royce. It’s not to be missed!”

Squadron Leader Tom Bould, Team Leader and Red 1 of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, said: “STEM subjects power the work of the Red Arrows and are at the core of so many roles within the RAF.

“We’ve all been very impressed by the creativity and ingenuity in all in the children’s paper aeroplane designs. Every entry was a possible winner!”

Paul Hine, Ultra Energy’s STEM Ambassador, said: “Applying STEM to the world’s challenges is often the only way we’ll solve them.

“This year our stand will bring to life a zero-carbon theme with interactive games exploring how nuclear energy works and how we make it safe and controllable. We can’t wait to see you there!”

Visit the Ultra Energy STEM Village on the East Cliff at the Bournemouth Air Festival 31 August – 3 September 2023.

Editor’s notes:

See a list of all exhibitors at: bournemouthair.co.uk/whats-on/stem-marquee/

Ultra Energy – Ultra Energy – this year’s STEM Village sponsor, based in Ferndown. It’s goal is to see nuclear energy fulfil its net zero potential by engineering innovative safety solutions that help nuclear companies succeed. Website – ultra.energy

RNLI – with cutting edge technology the RNLI saves lives at sea. RNLI engineers design, build or maintain the charity’s lifeboats and stations or have a supporting role in finance, HR, planning or administration. Website – rnli.org.uk/apprenticeships

Thales – this year’s display appearance supporter of the RAF Chinook Display Team. From the credit card in your pocket, your passport, your secure online banking and supporting UK’s Army, Navy and Air Force, Thales teams harness the extraordinary power of technology to build a future we can all trust. Website – thalesgroup.com/uk

Rolls Royce – Rolls-Royce develops and delivers complex power and propulsion solutions for safety-critical applications in the air, at sea and on land. We harness the potential of cutting edge technologies to create safe, cleaner and more efficient power and propulsion solutions. Website – https://www.rolls-royce.com

Micro Nav Limited – the leading, award-winning specialist producer of Air Traffic Control simulators with an unbroken track record since 1988. Website – Micro Nav

Yunex Traffic –  a world leader in intelligent traffic systems, offering the widest end-to-end portfolio of solutions for adaptive traffic control and management. Website – Yunex

Spherea Test & Services Ltd– an international group providing complex test solutions for aerospace and defence platforms, systems and equipment. Website – spherea.co.uk

Superior Seals Ltd  – a leading manufacturer of high integrity o-rings and seals  Website Superior Seals Ltd

Parvalux Electric Motors Ltd – the UK’s largest fractional horsepower electric motor manufacturer and supplier, with state of the art manufacturing and service facilities.  Website Parvalux

AUB (Arts University Bournemouth) – a leading University offering high quality specialist education in art, design, media and performance across the creative industries. Website – aub.ac.uk

Centre VR – Europe’s largest virtual reality arenas and escape room venues. Over 100 amazing experiences for seven-year-olds to adults. Website – centrevr.co.uk/

Bournemouth University – a university that inspires learning, advances knowledge and enriches society worldwide, through research, education, and the impact of its staff, students and graduates –bournemouth.ac.uk

KW Engineering – an engineered aerospace component company based in Poole – kw-eng.co.uk

IMI Thompson Valves Ltd – designing, manufacturing, assembling and testing high integrity pneumatic and hydraulic flow control devices.  Website – IMI Thompson Valves 

Leonardo – sponsor of the Typhoon Display Team this year, Leonardo is a global high-tech company and a leading player in Aerospace, Defence and Security. Website – uk.leonardo.com

AECC University College – specialist health sciences university, delivering high-quality education, research, clinical and consultancy services in chiropractic, physiotherapy, psychology, radiology and imaging sciences. Website – aecc.ac.uk

For more information on the displays and aircraft as they are being announced please go to the Bournemouth Air Festival website or stay up to date on social media: Facebook: @bournemouthairfestival, Instagram: bmthairfest, Twitter: @BmthAirFest

Press Information: Julia.bullas@bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Commercial and sponsorship opportunities: cara.donn@bcpcouncil.gov.uk