Following the huge success of 2024, Shuttleworth’s Festival of Flight Air Show returns by popular demand for its second year. On Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June, the venue’s biggest air show will see a total of four flying displays, a visit from the Red Arrows, and the largest amount of ground attractions ever seen at Old Warden aerodrome, near Biggleswade.
Shuttleworth is the closest you can get to the flying action in the UK, with an unparalleled flightline that makes for a truly spectacular air display experience. The Festival will feature a stellar line up of top-class visiting display aircraft, including, but not limited to: the Red Arrows, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Avro Lancaster, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the Nieuport 23 and Fokker D.XXI (which will both be making their UK debuts). All of the Shuttleworth Collection’s own airworthy aircraft available this season will also take to the skies across the weekend – if the conditions are right, this will include the Collection’s Edwardian aircraft, featuring the World’s oldest airworthy aircraft, the 1909 Blériot XI.
Outside of the flying displays, the Festival also has the largest amount of ground attractions of any of Shuttleworth’s events. The Tigers Children’s Motorcycle Team and Fusion Extreme Stunt Show will wow audiences with their adrenaline-fuelled tricks. Then, there are countless interactive attractions from simulators to a working anti-aircraft exhibit, circus skills workshops, pedal planes to fly and mini landers to drive. Visitors can enjoy Shuttleworth staples from the educational activities in various Discovery Zones, to the chance to hop aboard a vintage bus and to see working steam and heritage exhibits from Clayton & Shuttleworth Ltd. Shuttleworth House, the site’s Grade II listed Victorian mansion will be open with displays and tours, and – for those seeking a moment of calm – the 9-acre Swiss Graden is the perfect place to explore in the shade, complete with resident peacocks. Better still, all of these activities and attractions are included in the price of a ticket – offering a full day’s entertainment for fantastic value.
To enhance a visit even further, visitors can prebook marquee ‘pods’ to decorate and use as a base for the day – a wonderful way to come together with friends and family for a celebration or get together. Guests can also step onto the airfield and get within touching distance of these amazing aircraft with flightline tours – but you’ll need to be quick as these sell out fast.
Shuttleworth boasts a beautiful camping area, letting guests turn their flying visit into an unforgettable stay. You can make the weekend of it for just £20 per pitch per night and enjoy additional entertainment at Shuttleworth House.
Marc Boult, Head of Visitor Operations at Shuttleworth, said, “Our Festival of Flight Air Show is the jewel in the crown of our air show season. This is the big one, where we super-charge every element of the event, from the flying to the ground entertainment. We hope to see lots of families joining us for a fantastic day out, inspiring the next generation of aviation enthusiasts. If you’ve yet to experience an air show at Shuttleworth, then Festival of Flight is definitely the way to do it.”
Festival of Flight takes place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June with tickets starting from £39 (children go free). Already in high demand, the Festival looks on track to break sales records at Shuttleworth.
