Dave Thomas: Things looking up... it must be time for English Riviera Airshow

It certainly has been a very busy week, between travelling to Leeds for UK REIFF, London for the Local Government Association and back to the Bay – hence, I am very much looking forward to spending time on Paignton Green with our flagship event this weekend.

So many people have been talking about the English Riviera Airshow ever since we announced we would be running the event again. You may recall, June 2023 - despite many people loving the event, and it being great for the businesses in our bay, we weren’t in a position to continue to spend £300k putting the event on, and we have had to reduce our financial commitment to something that is, hopefully, sustainable.

Despite the reduction in the initial financial contribution from the Council, I do expect this year’s event to be even better than previous years and to be delivered for a fraction of the cost. – How did we manage to do that, I hear you ask? Simply, more partnership working, more of our local businesses getting involved and supporting us, together with a number of dedicated councillors and a small group of volunteers who have been busy working behind the scenes with Council officers to ensure we can get additional value out of every single item we have needed to secure and our businesses going the extra mile and being squeezed a little more to really help get this event over the line. I am convinced this year’s Airshow will be bigger and better than ever – I look forward to hearing your views across the weekend.

The two-day spectacular is jam-packed with displays, attractions and activities that will keep the whole family entertained. If you are coming along, I am sure you will have an amazing weekend in the Bay. As well as the iconic RAF display teams (Red Arrows, Typhoon and Battle of Britain) there will be an exciting host of civilian aircraft. This includes the Westland Sea King, P51-Mustang, Hawker Fury and Harvard aircraft which will be appearing at the Airshow for the very first time. 

You will also be treated to a special D-Day Memorial Display. Marking 80 years since the D-Day landings along the Normandy coast on 6 June 1944. This display will feature the Dakota, P-51 Mustang and Supermarine Spitfire aircraft. Whilst back on the ground, the event village on Paignton Green will be open from 10am on both Saturday and Sunday with plenty to entertain the whole family throughout the day and late into the evening. 

Our event starts this year on Friday evening from 6pm as we open the event with live music. Why not pop over and see ‘The Barefoot Bandits’? Across the three evenings of entertainment, we will showcase some incredible acts including BBC Devon’s introducing artists, and local bands on the Paignton Green. Devon’s own 10-piece band ‘Joey the Lips’ will headline on Saturday evening with a full show to get us all in the mood for an amazing evening and on Sunday night we do it all again as we feature more live music and local talent.
  
Our bay is certainly going to be busy with vantage points all across the three towns. Our hotels, B&Bs, Guesthouses, bars, cafes and restaurants are ready to welcome you over the Airshow weekend, and whilst I was in London, I even spoke to folk who intend to come down especially for the Airshow, as they had heard just how good it was last year.

Before I finish – I would remind you that it is still not too late to book yourself a parking slot in one of our car parks. We have 2 x pricing options, premium and standard. The premium rate is for car parks which are much closer to the event and save you having to walk as far. Both options include a printed programme and a souvenir airshow badge. You can still book at ‘englishrivieraairshow.co.uk’.