A record number of people turned out to watch Blackpool’s annual Air Show as a combination of scorching weather and the long-awaited return of the Red Arrows brought crowds flocking to the resort from across the UK.
An estimated 200,000 people turned out over the two days to watch hours of spectacular free entertainment over the seafront.
As well as the Red Arrows performing a dazzling finale on both the Saturday and Sunday, there were breath-taking displays by the Typhoon display team, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Chinook, Muscle Pitts stunt plane, Strikemaster and the AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers.
Although the Tower Festival Headland provided the main viewing and commentary point alongside an Air Show Village, (sponsored by Coral Island), huge crowds lined the six miles of promenade.
The show was opened in spectacular fashion by the Typhoon display team and closed by the Red Arrows who marked their return to Blackpool with a stunning entrance over The Blackpool Tower with their trademark red, white and blue smoke trails.
A VisitBlackpool spokesperson said: “It is three years since we were last able to stage an air show and four years since the Red Arrows last performed here. A combination of the picture-perfect weather and the return of the Reds gave us the biggest attendance we have ever seen.
“It was a joy to see so many people coming from far and wide to celebrate what was a fabulous family event.”
Blackpool Air Show will return next year on Saturday 12 August and Sunday 13 August 2023, featuring a whole host of incredible flying machines.
The Air Show at the weekend marked the start of a programme of fantastic free events over the coming months.
Next up is Ride The Lights when, for one night only, the six miles of Promenade will close to give cyclists an opportunity to get a sneak preview of this year’s Illuminations.
Ride The Lights will be staged on the night of Tuesday 30 August – three days before the Illuminations are officially switched on by legendary comic and actor Johnny Vegas.
Bikes of all shapes and sizes can take advantage of the seafront route in a free family event that is suitable for all ages. The Promenade will be closed to traffic from 6.30pm until 10.30pm with the Ride the Lights event starting at 7pm and finishing at 10pm.
Ride The Lights marks the start of the build-up to the start of the Illuminations season which has again been extended by two months, ending on Monday 2 January 2023.
The Illuminations season gets underway on Friday 2 September with the biggest night in Blackpool’s events calendar – the annual Switch-On concert in association with MTV.
The celebration will take place in the Tower Ballroom with performances by Blue, Tom Grennan, Mae Muller, Nina Nesbitt and Fuse ODG, before actor and comedian Johnny Vegas pulls the famous switch to trigger four months of Illuminations.
The concert and Switch-On moment will be live streamed to a global audience across MTV and VisitBlackpool channels, and event organisers are exploring the possibility of streaming the live event to an outdoor audience on the Tower Festival Headland.
Other free events to look forward to include:
World Fireworks Championship Blackpool
Watch the Blackpool night skies light up with four brilliant firework displays synced to music as teams from across the world battle it out. Three countries will participate over alternate Saturdays on September 17, October 1 and October 15, with the showcase event taking place on Friday 28 October sponsored by Coral Island.
Lightpool Festival
The award-winning Lightpool Festival returns, sponsored by Fox Brothers Group, with an amazing free-to-see programme of light installations, 3D projection shows, art trails, and stunning live performances from October 14-29.
Christmas By The Sea
2021 saw the Tower Festival Headland turned into an outdoor winter wonderland with skating rink, magic forest, snowfalls, log cabins and festive projection shows. We will be unwrapping our plans for this year’s Christmas By The Sea, sponsored by TalkTalk, in the coming weeks.
