Airbourne

Airbourne is an annual free airshow in Eastbourne. I discovered it by accident at the end of my 1st year at university and have been every year since. It runs every August from a Thursday to a Sunday and if you get good weather, makes for a good day trip. If the weather is cold and cloudy then it can result in restricted displays and  a cold seat on the beach.

Arrival of the Red Arrows

In good weather the beach is packed out, with people bringing their own chairs, blankets and picnics. There is also a market running on the promenade so that buying food, drink and ice cream is easy. If you walk up to the Western Lawns then there is the airshow village, home to a stationary Chinook, military and charity stands, as well as recruitment tents and simulators.

The airplanes fly over the sea, viewed from the beach. The planes tend to use the bandstand as the centre point, but make it quite far out in both directions and can be viewed from Beachy Head. A frequent flier tends to be the red arrows, who either open or close most days, whilst also flying at other airshows around the country. Other regulars are the Breitling Wing Walkers, Battle of Britain Memorial flight (which was unfortunately grounded this year) and some fighter jets, which are my personal favourite.

Airbourne celebrated 25 years this year commemorated by its special programme, although you can buy one every year. You can get daily flight times each day and there is a dedicated radio station for the event.

Shops tend to stay open a bit later for the airshow, or hold raffles and sell more aeroplane related products. The cafes and restaurants fill up with visitors, selling meals or snacks as you wish. For us, a visit always includes a visit to the sweet shop, to buy fudge, honeycomb, rock and other favourites.

Eastbourne is accessible by train from London Victoria, or there is a park and ride for the event operated in a field somewhere. If you want to stay, you need to book your hotel early, as bookings rise during the event and many of Eastbourne's B&B's fill up fast.

During the summer, there are other beach-side airshows, all with similar planes attending, so it is not just restricted to Eastbourne, but for us it is the closest and easiest to get to and I get to visit my friends (occasionally) at the same time.

Eastbourne has a lot of other weekend events throughout the year, so it is worth looking at the tourist website to see what is on next.