Donate to support a thriving calendar of activities
For the last 16 years, Bournemouth Air Festival has brought excitement and joy to the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) coastline.
We’re the UKs largest free air festival with around 594,000 spectators travelling down watch the air festival in 2023. We bring together family, friends and flying enthusiasts who visit for the impressive aerial acrobatics as well as all the activities on the ground.
This year, we’re asking for donations to support a thriving calendar of community and cultural activities across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Your kind donations will help us work with partners to fund a future vibrant calendar of activities that will connect our diverse communities and enable them to lead healthy, active lives whilst bring a sense of pride to the area, helping our local economy flourish in the process.
Voluntary Donations
You can donate a set amount of £2, £5 or £10 when you pre-order a copy of the Bournemouth Air Festival programme here.
You can also visit one of our donation stations across the site, including the Tourist Information Centre on Pier Approach, as well as some of our seafront kiosks along the promenade to donate.
Our friendly event staff will be on hand to assist you if needed.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind donation. Your generosity will help us support a future calendar of leisure, community and cultural activities across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for everyone to enjoy, so come and visit us again!
Frequently asked questions
How will my donation be spent?
Your voluntary donation will help support a thriving calendar of activities across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole that supports our goal of creating vibrant places with sustainable, healthy, thriving communities.
These activities could include the Arts by the Sea festival or other leisure, community and cultural activities that will help us ensure people can be active and healthy to achieve our goal.
Why is my donation not going to next year’s air festival?
As BCP Council is continuing to operate in a challenging financial climate, we still need to explore innovative ways to balance our budget and so a decision was made to test the viability of voluntary contributions for a future calendar of activities.
We want to ensure that we are transparent on how contributions are spent and will update on progress as part of our democratic, transparent decision-making process in the autumn.
I am a visitor, why should I donate money if I won’t be benefiting from the vibrant calendar of activities?
All visitors to our beautiful three towns will be able to benefit from these activities as they will be inclusive for residents and visitors alike.
They also encourage everyone to lead active lifestyles by bringing them together with vibrant events through the year.
Will the events be across the BCP area or in one town?
We will look across our diverse and vibrant communities to support a calendar of leisure, community and cultural activities to bring a health and wellbeing benefit to all residents and visitors as well.
What does the future programme of activities for BCP Council look like?
We are currently exploring what a future calendar of leisure, community and cultural activities could look like and will continue to work together with our partners in the community to identify and examine all options.
Who will these future events benefit?
We are proud of our diverse communities, and we aim to provide accessible and inclusive services for everyone to enjoy. We will use data, insights and feedback to shape our services.
How can you prove my money has gone to a specific event? Will I get an update on how my money has been spent?
Donations will be ringfenced for the purpose of leisure, community and cultural activities that support residents’ active health and wellbeing needs as well as our visitors, and we will be clear about where the money will be spent.
What happens if the donations aren’t needed/spent? Will they be returned?
The donations will be committed to the purposes stated and for which the donations have been made.