Lift-off for Bournemouth Air Festival 2021
The event generates around £30 million for the area every year
Last updated 2nd Sep 2021
After a year off due to the pandemic, the Bournemouth Air Festival is back - with organisers promising it will be 'bigger and better' than ever before.
The four-day event, which gets underway on Thursday (September 2nd), is one of the biggest of its kind in Europe.
Over 800,000 visitors are expected to descend on the seafront for the event, which business bosses have said can add up to £30 million to the area's economy.
Those going will get to experience aerial displays from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Typhoon.
For the first time in five years, the Red Arrows will be performing on each of the four days of the festival.
Red 1 and team leader Tom Bould told us the event is one of their favourite shows of the year:
"There are so many people on the beach, it's one of the biggest audiences that we display to, and that's exactly the reason that we go out and display, because we want to put the show out in front of the public, showcase what we do and promote the UK armed forces, the best of British.
"This year we've brought back some of our old favourites, we've got our 'Big Wall' arrival which is great, we're starting off the second half with a 'hammer break' which is an arena-filling spectacle, and the synchro pair have got a brand new manoeuvre this year called 'Boomerang' - so hopefully, if the weather's nice we'll be able to showcase that at Bournemouth".
Also on display over the course of the weekend will be the Ultimate Fighters, the Blades Acrobatic display team, the RAF Chinook, the Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers.
There's also plenty for those attending to do on the ground, with the RAF Village on the East Overcliff, pyrotechnic displays on all days and lots of other entertainment options.
Councillor Drew Mellor, Leader of BCP Council said:
“Since the start of 2021 we’ve been determined to make this the year of ‘bounce back’. To engineer the fastest possible recovery for businesses and for jobs – and to help people back outdoors.
"We have no doubt that this year’s Air Festival will be a massive boost for everyone! We are delighted to have such a variety of companies and businesses behind us, from local franchises to internationally recognised leaders in their chosen fields we are proud to stage such a fantastic event.”
You can find a full list of everything that's going on over the weekend here.