Rhyl Airshow

Rhyl Airshow

There will be no Rhyl Airshow in 2024

Lancaster

The BBMF Lancaster

This is a free seaside airshow in the North Wales coastal resort of Rhyl, organised by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd., an arms-length company established by the Denbighshire County Council to manage leisure attractions and events.

No show in 2024

Rhyl Air Show will be ‘taking a break’ in 2024 as the Red Arrows will be on an international tour to celebrate their own 60th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The Red Arrows have been an integral part of the show line up in past years and the decision has been taken not to run the show in 2024 without them. Graham Boase, Chief Executive of Denbighshire County Council, said: “We understand the decision will be a disappointment to those who regularly attend the Air Show, and also to local businesses. We fully appreciate the economic impact of the events to Rhyl, and as a council we remain committed to working with DLL to build the town’s reputation as a destination for major events. We will work with DLL to seek alternative events”

Jamie Groves, Managing Director of DLL, said: “It is with a heavy heart that we have decided not to run the Rhyl Air Show this year. The Red Arrows have been an integral part of the Air Show programme over many years, usually providing a spectacular finale to the shows. Unfortunately, we have been informed that they will be away on an international tour over the summer, and unavailable for UK displays. With the programme already subject to scrutiny over recent years, we believe the Red Arrows to be irreplaceable, and that their loss would inevitably lead to criticism of the Air Show. We have concluded that it would be impossible for DLL to deliver a show in keeping with the proud tradition of the Rhyl Air Show, which also meets public expectations, but we will come back in 2025 stronger”

Earlier years

Aircraft listed to fly in 2023.
This list is provided to give an idea of the kind of show to expect.
Red Arrows BAe Hawk T1 (x8)Red Arrows
BBMF LancasterBBMF Lancaster 'PA474 Leader'
BBMF Spitfire MK356Supermarine Spitfire (BBMF)
BBMF Hurricane PZ865Hawker Hurricane (BBMF)
Strikemaster pair, G-SOAF and G-RSAF
Fairey Swordfish Mk1 W5856 Navy WingsFairey Swordfish Mk I G-BMGC 'W5856' (Navy Wings)
AutogyroCalidus Autogyro G-DISP (Peter Davies)
StarlingsThe Starlings Aerobatic Team (Extra 330 and CAP 232)
Harvard Mk IV (Navy Wings)
All appearances are subject to technical, weather and other constraints

In common with many airshows, the 2020 event had to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Managing Director of Denbighshire Leisure had hoped that the 11th Rhyl airshow in 2021 show would go ahead “bigger and better than ever”. However, regrettably, the organisers decided to cancel.

The show was back for 2022 with a strong RAF presence. The show was headlined by the Red Arrows and also had displays by the Typhoon and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, although the display by the Red Arrows had to be cut short on Sunday, when Red 6's aircraft suffered a bird strike which smashed his canopy. He made an emergency landing and was unharmed.

The show was back again in 2023 and should return in 2025.

Getting to the show.

By car

Use Sat Nav LL18 3AF until you get close, but ignore the sat nav in favour of local directions signs as soon as you see them. Click the blue button for Google's directions.

Driving directions

There are links to other route planners in the Travel Advice section.

Travel Advice

Road traffic updates
Highways Agency
Rail
Incidents and enquiries
National Railway Map
DIY pocket timetable
Journey planning by public transport
Traveline
Route planners (Road)
AA
RAC
Bing (Microsoft)

Accommodation near the show

It is best to book as far as possible in advance. This is not only because nearby hotels and guest houses tend get booked up well before the date of an airshow but also because prices can be better when you book early online.

There are plenty of booking agencies. We find that many of the well known ones are better at finding hotels from international or larger UK chains and may suggest hotels in main towns or cities quite a distance from the show site.

Some Options

There is a Premier Inn hotel in Rhyl and another about 3 miles away in Rhuddlan.

Travelodge have a new hotel on Rhyl seafront and three other hotels within 15 miles.

Click any of the blue names to go to the corresponding web site. The links already have the location built in, but please check, and change as necessary, the dates, number of rooms and number of guests.

Weather for the show area

UK Met Office Forecast

A full 7 day Rhyl weather forecast from the UK Met Office

BBC Forecast

A 14-day forecast from the BBC

What the forecasts tell you

The Met Office 7-day forecast includes actual and "feels like" temperatures, the likelihood of rain, wind speed, wind direction, wind gusts and visibility: the latter can have an impact on the viability of displays.

The BBC's 14-day forecast has overall conditions including and hourly estimate of temperature, wind direction, wind speed and UV range.

Click the blue-text link to go to the forecast. The location is already built into the links.

2024 Show Basics

Date

No show in 2024. Should return in 2025.

Airshow links

Travel

Postcode for Sat Nav
LL18 3AF

Driving directions

 

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