Sky’s the limit as English Riviera Airshow marks 10 years

The English Riviera Airshow will return to Paignton Green this spring as organisers prepare to celebrate the event’s landmark 10th year.

The free-to-attend show will run from Friday 29 May to Sunday 31 May, transforming the Bay into a natural amphitheatre for three days of aerial displays, military aircraft and family entertainment.

Visitors will have the chance to meet crews from the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and British Army, including the world-famous Red Arrows, while activity on the water will add to the spectacle across the weekend.

The event begins on the evening of Friday 29 May with night flying displays and live entertainment, before the skies over Torbay fill with aircraft on Saturday and Sunday in a programme of aerobatic displays and fly-pasts.

Alongside the “show in the sky”, organisers say there will be plenty of on-the-ground attractions and family activities, with thousands expected to line the seafront to watch the action.

Backed by partners including Torbay Council and English Riviera BID Company, the show has become one of the biggest events in the Bay’s tourism calendar since launching in 2016.

The airshow regularly attracts large crowds to vantage points around Torbay and is estimated to generate around £5 million for the local economy, with tourism experts suggesting every £1 invested in the event returns about £15 to the area through visitor spending.

Last year’s event brought record crowds to the seafront but ran at a small loss of just over £33,000 against an overall budget of £285,000, including a £100,000 allocation from Torbay Council.

Council leaders have previously said the airshow delivers significant economic benefits to local businesses, particularly during the early summer tourism season.

The display has featured a wide range of aircraft over the years, from historic warbirds and wing-walkers to modern military helicopters and fast jets.

The Red Arrows have been a centrepiece of the Bay’s show since its early years, performing their trademark red, white and blue smoke displays over the coastline.