As we step into a brand-new year, we’re already looking ahead with excitement to RIAT26. We can’t wait to share what’s in store and welcome you back for another unforgettable show.
Take Off Thursday starts in a few weeks’ time, so keep an eye on your inbox and on our social media channels for all the exciting aircraft announcements.
Don’t worry if you missed our Black Friday sale, there’s still a chance for you to enjoy some fantastic savings. Our Boxing Day merchandise sale will continue throughout January. It’s the perfect opportunity to refresh your RIAT wardrobe, add to your aviation collection, or pick up a gift for a fellow enthusiast.
Discover official RIAT merchandise at discounted prices while stocks last (sale ends midnight Sunday 1st February).
Order dispatch restarts: Week commencing Monday 5th January.
As the year draws to a close, everyone at RIAT would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy festive season.
With so many great moments behind us, we’re already building excitement for what’s ahead. RIAT26 is on the horizon – and there’s plenty to look forward to.
Keep your eyes peeled in the new year for some exciting announcements as we begin to reveal what’s in store… including the return of Take off Thursday in February!
The Royal International Air Tattoo is an awe-inspiring three-day event filled with incredible flying displays, amazing aircraft, and a fantastic atmosphere for all ages.
To help you enjoy the show in total comfort, we offer a range of enclosure options designed to give you the very best views, extra space to relax, and an upgraded experience throughout the day.
Explore our selection of premium enclosures or get in touch with our team to create a unique experience that suits you.
Start by exploring two fan-favourite enclosures below, or browse all available packages.
We’re thrilled to welcome Freemans Event Partners as our exclusive public food and drink partner.
Freemans are local to Gloucestershire and have been part of RIAT’s story since the 1970s – starting with a simple fish and chip stand at RAF Fairford. Today, they support more than 650 major event days a year, and we’re excited to bring their expertise to the world’s greatest airshow.
With RIAT26 tickets already selling faster than ever, guests can look forward to an upgraded food and drink experience alongside next year’s Fighter Meet theme and the celebration of 30 years of our Royal status.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) continues to play a transformative role in widening opportunities for young people across the UK, with its success directly powering the impact of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT).
As a not-for-profit event, RIAT generates the funds that enable the RAFCT to deliver an expanding portfolio of STEM education and skills programmes for young people broadly aged 5–25 across the UK. This has allowed the charity to surpass its ambitious goal of inspiring 500,000 young people by 2026 – achieving over 750,000 engagements more than a year early and now exceeding 780,000.
By attending RIAT, the public, industry partners and international air and space communities contribute directly to this growing national impact. The 2025 show alone welcomed more than 178,500 visitors, offering not only world-class aviation displays but also hands-on STEM experiences through the Techno Zone® and Inspire Stage. Here, young people met leading figures such as astronaut Tim Peake and explored cutting-edge aerospace technology, helping to spark curiosity and confidence in air, space, engineering, and technology.
The event’s success has strengthened the RAFCT’s ability to invest in new educational initiatives. Its latest partnership with Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) marks the charity’s first significant foray into supporting further education students through mathematics. By backing the Further Education Maths Challenge – a national programme involving over 80 colleges and 40,000 learners – the Trust is helping 16–19-year-olds build vital numeracy, problem-solving and teamwork skills. For many participants, the challenge provides a pathway to renewed confidence in maths and improved future career prospects.
Across all its programmes – from primary-school STEM engagement to national digital-safety partnerships – FE maths and flying and engineering scholarships, the Trust ensures that RIAT’s impact extends far beyond the airshow weekend. Attendance at the event directly fuels opportunities for increasing numbers and diversity of young people to explore how science, technology and aviation shape the world, helping them gain the essential skills, inspiration and self-belief to fulfil their potential. In turn, this collective effort supports the UK’s acute need for the next generation of STEM innovators, engineers and aviators.
We’re thrilled to share that excitement for RIAT26 is already soaring – and so are ticket sales! With thousands of aviation fans securing their spots early, this year’s show is shaping up to be another spectacular one.
If RIAT is on your must-attend list for 2026, now’s the perfect time to book. From breathtaking aerial displays to interactive experiences, RIAT26 promises a weekend you won’t want to miss.
Lock in your tickets today to make sure you get the best availability and pricing. Once they’re gone, they’re gone and we’d hate for you to miss out on the action.
The Royal International Air Tattoo has teamed up with fellow Gloucestershire business Freemans Event Partners to provide catering at the iconic aviation showcase.
Less than 30 miles separates RAF Fairford, home of RIAT since 1985, and Freemans Event Partners’ Head Office in Gloucester. However, when Stephen Senior and Karen Freeman first launched their business selling fish and chips in 1975, the then called ‘International Air Tattoo’ was one of the first events they attended.
Freemans Event Partners and the Royal International Air Tattoo continue to build on their long-standing success. Freemans Event Partners now supports more than 650 event days each year, while the Royal International Air Tattoo recently celebrated a record attendance of over 178,000 visitors. Tickets for RIAT26 are already selling unprecedented speed and are currently 20% ahead of this time last year.
Chief Executive Officer at Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, Gavin Gager said: “We are excited to partner with Freemans Event Partners to bring a new high-quality catering offer to our visitors.
“As the leading large-scale food & drink partner for a huge range of leading global events, Freemans Event Partners is well suited to help the world’s greatest airshow to take its catering offer to new heights.”
Next year’s aviation showcase will see the event explore fast jets after announcing an operational theme of Fighter Meet earlier this year, 2026 also represents 30-years since the Air Tattoo was given its royal status, giving their guests plenty to look forward to in addition to the new food & drink offer.
Executive Chairman at Freemans Events Partners, Stephen Freeman said: “The Air Tattoo is an event our family have a long association with, starting with my family selling fish and chips at RAF Fairford in the 1970s.
“To be working with the Royal International Air Tattoo all these years later is fantastic and we are looking forward to elevating the customer experience with exciting new food & drink concepts.” If you are a trader offering catering services and would like to participate in RIAT26, contact: concessionsenquiries@freemanseventpartners.co.uk
Get ready, our Black Friday event is almost here with up to 50% off a huge range of products! This year’s sale runs from 24th November to 2nd December and features savings on RIAT25 merchandise and much more.
Whether you’re treating yourself or searching for the perfect gift, this is your chance to grab fan favourites at their best prices of the year. Stock is limited, and once these offers go live, they won’t stick around for long.
Stay tuned and keep an eye on our socials – Black Friday starts soon, and you won’t want to miss it.
Next summer a series of fast jets will soar through the Gloucestershire skies as the Royal International Air Tattoo confirms next year’s show theme is ‘Fighter Meet’.
Every July, RAF Fairford transforms into a hive of activity as the Royal International Air Tattoo attracts thousands of visitors to the Cotswolds for the aviation showcase. This year, event organisers announced the show had attracted a record crowd of over 178,000 people, following a year that saw ticket sell at a record pace for the third year in a row.
RIAT26 will have an operational theme of ‘Fighter Meet’ highlighting the aircraft used throughout the last century for air-to-air combat and hope to include examples of modern fighter aircraft used across the globe. In addition, 2026 also marks 30 years since Royal status was granted to the event, and in recognition of this next year’s event will have a sub-theme of Royal Flight, which will be marked with a gathering of aircraft used for VIP transportation.
Speaking on the theme announcement, Head of Air Operations, Peter Reoch said: “Our Fighter Meet theme is an exciting opportunity to showcase a myriad of aircraft types, particularly fast jets, which are always popular with our visitors. As always, our aspiration is to provide an eclectic mix of aircraft from around the world for our visitors to view in July.”
All proceeds from the annual aviation showcase are donated to the event’s parent charity, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT), whose purpose is to inspire young people to fulfil their potential in STEM, with particular focus on air, space and technology.
In the last three years, grants from the charity have enabled over 750,000 young people aged 5 – 25 years to be engaged in STEM activities, which have been delivered by leading UK charities and powered by the airshow’s sustained popularity. In addition, the show’s flagship ground attraction, the Techno Zone® will again be a hive of activity with a range of interactive activities for entertain visitors of all ages. Aircraft participation is set to be announced early next year, with tickets available via www.AirTattoo.com.
In response to the acute STEM skills shortage facing the UK and building on the success of their Royal International Air Tattoo, Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT) grants have now enabled over 750,000 young people to be inspired via life changing STEM educational programmes delivered by some of the UK’s leading STEM education charities.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), hosted annually at RAF Fairford, is delivered as a not-for-profit event and powers the RAFCT’s grant making. RAFCT invests in leading UK charities to help build the strategic delivery capacity the UK needs to inspire young people to fulfil their potential in STEM, with particular focus on air, space and technology.
In 2022, the Gloucestershire based charity published its intention to reach 500,000 children by July 2026 but with more than a year to go they have now announced that they have already surpassed their target, much to the delight of Director Dr Kevin P Stenson.
He said: “The RAF Charitable Trust is uniquely positioned to enable young people aged 5-25 years to explore how STEM explains and shapes the world around them, and to inspire them to change the world by pushing boundaries in aviation and space exploration.
“We see the achievement of ¾ quarters of a million engagements as a launchpad for more collective action across the UK to help address the acute STEM skills shortage holding back the United Kingdom and preventing too many young people from fulfilling their potential.”
In support of the Trust’s purpose to promote the RAF and inspire young people, this year’s airshow saw over 178,500 people visit the event in what was its third successive sell out. The aviation showcase continues to grow, with 224 aircraft from 27 different nations on display in July including the Egyptian Air Force which became the 59th participating nation when they provided an aircraft for the first time this summer.
In addition to highlights in the air, the event also boasted plenty of STEM inspiration on the ground with the show’s Techno Zone® and Inspire Stage hosting exhibits from the aerospace industry plus inspirational sessions from the likes of British astronaut Tim Peake, TV’s Rachel Riley and everyone’s favourite, the iconic Red Arrows.
In addition to maintaining its current partnerships, RAFCT will provide grants to at least five new partners in the 2025/26 Academic Year.
“Thanks to the incredible support afforded by the public, UK and International Defence Air and Space, and of course the RAF, the Trust can be ever bolder in its ambition to inspire young people to fulfil their potential in air, space and technology,” he added.
