The RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, will be headlining the 2022 Air Festival, bringing two full sensational displays to the Platinum Jubilee special show this year. This thrilling three-day event takes place at the Ragley Hall Estate on 2nd – 4th June.

​The RAF Red Arrows are one of the finest and most respected jet aerobatic teams in the world and a national favourite whenever they display. Loved by young and old, the team’s nail biting and exhilarating performances, showcasing precise formations with their wingtips just a few feet apart, are always a huge attraction. Their high-speed opposition passes and spectacular breaks make for a heart stopping show never to be missed.  Confirmed for two full displays at the event, the Midlands Air Festival will be one of the very first Red Arrows displays of the season and the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
 
Making its first appearance at the Midlands Air Festival this year, is the mighty Avro Lancaster four engined bomber of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.  The only flying example in Europe, this magnificent giant will be accompanied by an escort of a Spitfire and Hurricane, both key fighters in the Battle of Britain.  Listen out for the magical sound of six Rolls Royce Merlin engines roaring across the Warwickshire sky.

​Also confirmed to appear in this fantastic line up is the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team. The Falcons are the UK’s premier military parachute display team. Plummeting to earth at speeds up to 195kmh, 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. They will land right in front of the audience, providing a unique opportunity for people to chat to the team and ask questions.  

​Rounding up the contribution from the RAF is the Grob Tutor. This aircraft is used to provide air experience flights and elementary flight training for University Squadrons, RAF Cadets and entry level pilots. Creating the display for an air show is a big challenge for the pilot in this lightweight aircraft. It is a study in energy management as the pilot only has 180hp to play with, so will start his display at maximum height.  The Tutor is welcomed to the show to emphasise the Midlands Air Festival’s commitment to its STEM activities, which is also highlighted by the Rolls Royce STEM unit on site.  

​Alongside the coveted RAF line up, the dazzling air display programme for the 2022 Midlands Air Festival will include formation aerobatics from Team Raven in their new six aircraft routine, the mighty B17 Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’, the Rolls Royce Heritage flight Spitfire and Mustang, Strikemaster classic jet pair, Jet Provost, the amazing Gyroplane, the Turbulent flying circus team, aerial ballet and still more.

​In addition, the festival will stage a display of 200 giant multi-coloured hot air balloons and rare airships. These will include the largest collection of special shape character balloons in Europe. Look out for star attraction from Germany, Tropsy, the friendly dinosaur, the two liquorice allsorts Bertie Bassetts, Action Man, the massive Scottish Piper, The Guardsman and many more, all standing well over 100ft high! This will be the largest gathering of hot air balloons in the UK.  

Trevor Graham, Midlands Air Festival Director of Aviation, said “We are thrilled to be supported by the RAF Red Arrows and the stunning BBMF Lancaster for this year’s Platinum Jubilee Festival. When you add all of the other fabulous items we have attending, it all adds up to a tremendous day out for aviation enthusiasts and families alike. If you have never been to an air show, this is the one to start with.”
 
Tickets are available, in advance only, through the www.midlandsairfestival.com website, along with options for camping, caravanning and glamping, for those wishing to stay on site and make the most of the event. Tickets are still free for children under 13 years old when accompanied by a paying adult.
 
For more information and updates with the latest news, follow Midlands Air Festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

All of us at the Midlands Air Festival would like to join the rest of the country in sending congratulations and best wishes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, for 70 years of dedicated service.

To further highlight this, we will be joining in the celebrations on the Jubilee bank holiday to bring you a theme and taste of the coronation decade, with some aircraft of the period, classical music used at the coronation and local 1950’s band, the legendary Uproars.

We will also join the nation by lighting our own version of a Jubilee beacon on the Thursday night and we invite our audience to come in 1950’s costume if the fancy takes you! For girls that could be polka dot dresses, petticoats and pony tails and for the guys, drapes, crepes and Brylcreem! Don’t worry though its by no means compulsory but some of our pilots will be wandering around the site with some nice spot prizes for those that joined in the theme.

So why not make the Midlands Air Festival your Platinum Jubilee destination? We have a stunning line up of 200 hot air balloons, the largest number of special character shape balloons and a fantastic international air show, we are adding more and more by the week and incredibly the best is yet to come!

Tickets for all days are selling like hot cakes now, so if you need to come on a particular day, we strongly recommend you get yours now to avoid getting left out. Tickets are on offer currently but will rise to full price at end of March but we guarantee children under 13 are still free when accompanied by an adult ticket holder.

​Midlands Air Festival will fill the sky with aircraft, hot air balloons, helicopters, acrobatics, jets and so much more when it returns to the beautiful grounds of Ragley Hall Estate from 2nd – 4th June 2022. Set to be an aviation spectacular not to be missed, it will be the perfect setting to celebrate this year’s Platinum Jubilee. 

​​From Thursday 2nd – Saturday 4th June, Midlands Air Festival promises an action packed, three-day event programme that will thrill and delight, welcoming visitors to enjoy a day out with friends and family, and an opportunity to make the most of the extra bank holidays in 2022.
 
Firmly established as one of the key aviation events in the UK, this year’s Platinum Jubilee special is shaping up to be even more spectacular. Visitors can expect a breath-taking air display featuring an array of warbirds, classic jets, helicopters, vintage aircraft, high energy aerobatics, modern military aircraft, close formation teams and parachute displays, and that’s before mentioning the hot balloons! 

The impressive collection of hot air balloons and airships will include 200 multi-coloured giant balloons and feature the largest collection of special shaped character balloons in Europe. Across the three days of the festival, there will be an opportunity to see hot air balloon displays, both tethered and mass ascents, as well as the rather special Thursday evening night glow when balloons fire their burners in time to music and light up the night. On Friday and Saturday evenings the mass ascents will offer a picturesque close to the show. 

Thursday evening will feature the famous and captivating ‘Nightfire’ display against the dark night sky. The illuminated display aircraft will trail fireworks and sparkles from their wings and ‘Nightfire’ will also join the national jubilee celebrations by firing their version of a beacon at 9.15pm, in line with all major cities in the UK. This will be followed by the balloon night glow and a firework finale making Thursday an exciting afternoon and evening of entertainment to start the festival. 

​Confirmed displays and special appearances
 
The three-day programme will be bursting with must see displays, thrilling spectacles and Platinum Jubilee celebratory additions. The amazing WW2 four engine B17 flying fortress ‘Sally B’ will return to this year’s show while Team Raven formation team will show their new six aircraft routine. Display teams including The Tiger Nine team of vintage de Haviland tiger moths, children’s favourite The Tiger Club’s Turbulent Display Team, The Strikemaster jet pair and world-famous radio control pilot Steve Carr with his giant Yak aerobatics model will all perform at the festival.  

Some of the standout balloons will include the massive 154ft tall Scottish Piper, an array of animal shaped balloons, up to 180 multi coloured round balloons and one of our new international stars, Tropsy the friendly dinosaur will be travelling from Germany to make its debut at the show. As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Midlands Air Festival will also welcome the massive Guardsman balloon as well as a parade of balloons representing the Army Air Corps, the RAF and the Royal Navy. 

On the ground there will be a catering options to suits all tastes, children’s entertainment to keep the little ones happy between air displays, music and trade stalls.  For those looking to experience the event across multiple days, there are tickets available for the glamping and camping sites and a facility for overnight motor homes.  

Trevor Graham, Midlands Air Festival flying director, said;
“This year’s Midlands Air Festival is shaping up to be a fantastic show and we are thrilled to be bringing it back to Ragley Hall Estate in this Platinum Jubilee year. It will be a very special event, celebrating the jubilee and will bring together more air spectaculars than ever before. There will be more exciting announcements to come as we head towards the festival dates, watch this space!”
 
Tickets are available for purchase as 1-day, 2-day and 3-day passes through the Midlands Air Festival website. Camping and glamping packages can also be purchased for those wanting to stay on site and make the most of the event. The event is free to attend for children under 13 years old when accompanied by a paying adult.
 
For more information and to keep up to date with the latest news, follow Midlands Air Festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Why not buy tickets to our fantastic show as a unique Christmas present! More exciting than bath salts or a scarf! Visit our gift voucher page here to purchase Christmas gift vouchers for 1, 2 or 3 day tickets, which can be exchanged by the lucky recipients to attend on the day of their choice. Parking passes, including premium parking must also be purchased at this point.

All purchases of tickets or gift vouchers between now and 23rd December will be automatically entered into our ‘VIP for the weekend’ completion. The winners will receive:

• Accommodation in a Premier room at the Kings Court Hotel Alcester for two nights for two people including full breakfast. The Kings Court is just 3 miles from the show.
• Premier parking at the Festival
• Front row seating.
• Close up tour of the aircraft park and the hot air balloon launch field with an opportunity to chat to the pilots and crews.
• Early morning Coffee with the balloons.
• Join the bustle of the morning mass launch and mingle with the pilots and crews as they are briefed and prepare for take off.

Vouchers can then be exchanged on the ticketing pages below by clicking on the relevant number of days you wish to attend, selecting the correct number of tickets, proceeding to checkout and entering your voucher number.  Vouchers are valid until 31 March 2022.

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.
​
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.