The Midlands Air Festival – A Platinum Jubilee Special, will return to the rolling parkland of Ragley Hall on Bank Holiday Thursday 2nd June – Saturday 4th June!  Commemorating Her Majesty the Queen’s 70 year reign, the event will feature the very best of British. 

Beginning with Thursday Nightfire, through to Friday & Saturday full air displays, mass balloon ascents and much more, it promises to be another relaxing day of superb entertainment. 

Tickets will be limited once again next year to ensure a comfortable and spacious atmosphere, and therefore we will be offering all 2021 ticketholders priority booking at a discounted rate from mid August.

We look forward to everyone joining us for another spectacular weekend next year! 

The RAF Red Arrows will make their UK debut performance for 2021 at the Midlands Air Festival.

The festival which takes place at Ragley Hall on Friday 4 to Sunday 6 June has today announced that the RAF Red Arrows, RAF Typhoon Display Team, Battle of Britain Spitfire pair and RAF Falcons will feature at this year’s event.
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Not only will this be the public’s first opportunity to see the new displays for the 2021 season, but this will also be the first Red Arrows full display in the UK since the pandemic, due to the inevitable cancellation of events up and down the country in 2020.

​The RAF Red Arrows are one of the finest and most respected jet aerobatic teams in the world and the nation’s favourite wherever they display in the UK. Arriving in the sky over the historic Ragley Estate, they will showcase their new arrival formation for 2021 called ‘The Wall’. The team will then display a series of different formations with their wingtips just a few feet apart, before breaking into two sections for the dynamic part of their show, featuring nail-biting high-speed opposition passes and spectacular breaks.

​The RAF will also bring three front line fighters to the show, the first being the incredible Typhoon FGR4 jet, capable of a maximum speed of 1,300mph. The Typhoon is the RAF’s current front-line fighter, protecting UK airspace 24/7 and on deployment around the globe. 

​The others are the front-line fighters of the 1940’s, the Supermarine Spitfire. Used in all theatres of WW2, the Spitfire played a pivotal role in winning the Battle of Britain. These aircraft are part of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and are two of a number of WW2 aircraft that the RAF preserve in flying condition as a living memorial to the pilots, crews and builders of these iconic aircraft and to inspire future generations. Both aircraft will fly some unforgettable displays, featuring the unique capabilities that have made them so famous in their respective eras.

​The final addition to this fantastic line up is the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team. The Falcons are the UK’s premier military parachute display team. Celebrating their 60th anniversary the team will fly their new commemorative display at the Midlands Air Festival. The world’s most accomplished military skydivers will leap from their aircraft, trailing smoke to make them easier to spot. Once they deploy their canopies, they will carry out a series of manoeuvres and set pieces, including their famous non-contact canopy stacking and relative work.

​The director of aviation for the event, Trevor Graham said, “We are delighted and honoured to have so many of the nation’s top military and civilian aviators to support us and fly for the people of the Midlands. What better way to blow away the lockdown blues than a stunning day out in the wide-open spaces of the historic Ragley Hall with the best of the best!”
 
Tickets to the Midlands Air Festival must be purchased in advance and are limited to allow for capacity restrictions and government regulations pertaining at the time of the event. Organisers are advising those wishing to attend to book their tickets early to avoid disappointment. Children under 14 can attend for free, when accompanied by an adult ticket holder. 
 
MOD participation is subject to operational confirmations and PDAs.
 
To keep up to date with the latest news and information visit the Midlands Air Festival website www.midlandsairfestival.com or follow the event on Twitter @midlandsairfest, Instagram @midlandsairfestival and Facebook @midlandsairfestival. 

​Organisers of the spectacular Midlands Air Festival have just launched their ‘Rainbow Skies Initiative’, which will donate up to 1,000 tickets to NHS key workers who have continued to work tirelessly on our behalf, throughout the pandemic.

The festival will return to the historic Ragley Hall Estate in Warwickshire on 4-6 June 2021 and will see the skies filled with over 120 multi-coloured giant hot air balloons and a stunning classic air display, creating a fitting tribute to the NHS.

Members of the public are being encouraged to nominate NHS key workers who they feel deserve a day ticket to the event as a thank you for all their hard work, or staff may apply themselves. Nominations will be open from today, 16 March 2021 for two weeks until 29 March 2021. Tickets will be free of charge and allocated on a first come first served basis to those in current employment with the NHS.

Festival organiser Trevor Graham commented; “We were thinking of ways we could give a little back to our brilliant and hard-pressed NHS staff in the wake of the successful clap for heroes and John Romain’s NHS Spitfire tour. It occurred to us that with over 120 multi coloured giant hot air balloons, multi-coloured kites and the colours of our air display smoke trails we will have our very own rainbow sky, a fitting tribute to our frontline medics”. 

The Midlands Air Festival was inaugurated in 2018 and has attracted an increasing number of visitors from the wider Midlands area and across the UK.  Before the current restrictions, visitors came from as far away as Australia, New Zealand and the USA.  

To nominate an NHS key worker for the Rainbow Skies initiative, just visit: www.midlandsairfestival.com/nhs between now and 29 March 2021. Recipients will receive an adult entry ticket for the festival, valid on either the Friday, Saturday or Sunday, these will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. All Rainbow Skies ticket holders will simply need to present NHS photographic ID on arrival along with their ticket to gain entry.
 
Rainbow Skies and general admission tickets are available from the Midlands Air Festival website. Children under 14 can attend for free, when accompanied by an adult ticket holder. 
 
Tickets for this event must be purchased in advance and will be limited to allow for any government distancing guidelines that may be pertaining. Those wishing to attend are strongly advised to book early to avoid disappointment.   
 
There will be many more exciting additions and announcements about the events programme in the coming months, so to keep up to date with the latest news and information visit the Midlands Air Festival website www.midlandsairfestival.com or follow the event on Twitter @midlandsairfest, Instagram @midlands_air_festival_ and Facebook @midlandsairfestival. 

​The spectacular Midlands Air Festival has announced a further wave of display aircraft that will be flying high at the festival as it gets set to return to its original location of Ragley Hall in Warwickshire on 4 – 6 June 2021.
 
Taking to the skies at the festival will be Team Raven, acclaimed aerobatics pilot Chris Jesson in his classic Stampe Bi Plane, the world-famous gyro pilot Peter Davies and the festival’s first ever airship appearance. In addition, organisers have already secured the mighty B-17 bomber and Rich Goodwin in his radical high powered Muscle Biplane to feature in the exhilarating programme of air displays.
 
The news follows confirmation from the organisers that they plan to soar ahead with the event, following the Government’s announcement on plans for lifting lockdown. As a large outdoor event, the festival will be following relevant government regulations and will be adopting all social distancing guidelines, with plenty of space for families to enjoy the jam-packed programme.
 
First to join the aircraft line-up will be Team Raven with their five-man formation display team that was first formed in May 2014. Simon, Steve, Barry, Gerald and Mark aka The Ravens have known each other for many years and have flown their signature Vans RV aircraft at countless air shows and displays throughout the country. The big sky display of precision aerobatics features very close formations with their wingtips just a few feet apart. The team name ‘Raven’ comes from a play on the letters ‘RV’ which you can see on the crest on the sides of the aircraft fuselages.

​​Adding to the aerobatic line up, pilot Chris Jesson will put his classic Stampe Bi Plane through a routine that ranges from aerial ballet to high energy manoeuvres. Chris started his flying career in the long-gone Dan-Air airline before completing his commercial service for easyJet. The Stampe, (pronounced Stomp) was a sophisticated aircraft in its day, featuring brakes, a tail wheel and ailerons on both sets of wings, things that were unusual for a light aircraft of the time.       

​The world-famous gyro display pilot Peter Davies will be taking to the skies in the futuristic Calidus Gyroplane. Flying for over 32 years, Peter is a highly experienced pilot who has been displaying with the Gyroplane for 22 years. Whilst the Gyroplane looks like a mini helicopter, it works in a more unusual way as the main rotor is not connected to the engine. The display is sure to be a crowd pleaser as Peter swoops the Gyroplane through the skies.

​Finally, for something completely different, the festival has also confirmed its first appearance of an airship.  Chris Sanger-Davies will pilot his 110,000cuft Lindstrand Airship at speeds of up to 15 knots.  Whilst not the fastest aircraft attending the festival, it is certainly one of the most rare and interesting.  

​Trevor Graham, director of aviation for the festival commented: “These first displays are just an early taste of the aircraft we are planning to have in our daily flying programmes, many more exciting and unusual aircraft will be added to our growing list in the coming weeks. The display programme is being designed to appeal to aviation enthusiasts, families looking for a well-earned day out of excitement or those who just want to sit, relax and watch the show in the wide-open spaces of the historic Ragley Hall Estate.”
 
As well as a spectacular afternoon of air displays, the event will feature over 120 hot air balloons that will be rising high in the twice-daily hot air balloon mass ascents at dawn and late afternoon, along with exciting radio-controlled aircraft displays, large character kites and parachute teams.
 
The ticketed event will also feature the largest display of special shape character hot air balloons in Europe, with up to 40 of these amazing giants registered to attend. New special shapes that have been confirmed for the event include Wes the Wolf, the Cornetto Ice Cream, the giant Saucepan, and Buddy the smiling friend.
 
Mark Lockwood, spokesperson for the Midlands Air Festival, commented: “The programme for this year’s event is shaping up to be our best yet. It is set to be a brilliant family day out and we are really hoping to be a light at the end of a very long tunnel and give everyone something to really look forward to. Since the inaugural event in 2018, our Festival has proved to be hugely popular with both the Midlands audience and visitors from all over the UK.”     
 
Local businesses are being encouraged to get in touch with the festival for bespoke sponsorship partnerships. 
 
Tickets are now available from the Midlands Air Festival website with a special offer that ends on 31 March. Children under 14 can attend for free, when accompanied by an adult ticket holder. Tickets for this event must be purchased in advance and will be limited to allow for capacity restrictions and government regulations pertaining at the time of the event. Organisers are advising those wishing to attend to book their tickets early, in the event that the festival sells out.  
 
There will be many more exciting additions and announcements about the events programme in the coming months, so to keep up to date with the latest news and information visit the Midlands Air Festival website www.midlandsairfestival.com or follow the event on Twitter @midlandsairfest, Instagram @midlands_air_festival_ and Facebook @midlandsairfestival. 

Tickets to our spectacular air festival make the perfect gift for those last minute presents as well as friends and family who deserve a lovely day out in a beautiful country estate, watching some of the finest and most varied aerial displays in the UK.

Our special festive offer of reduced price tickets and premium parking is coming to an end, so let us solve your last minute gift problems!