Southport Airshow 2025

[DerekF]

A slightly changed date for this year's air show - Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August

[jasonT1981]

A seaside show that charges seems strange.

[Wrexham Mackem]

A seaside show that charges seems strange.

It might seem so, but its actually far more like an airfield venue than a typical seaside show. The showground, complete with crowdline fence and car parking (*caveat there has been no beach parking for the last couple of years), is set out on firm flat sand. The sea is miles out. Crowdline is straight, display line is straight. There are no bays, cliffs or secondary crowds.

There's a retail/entertainment park built close to the sea wall, and with the marine lake between there and the town itself, the layout lends itself to paid entry. If you don't pay to get in you can't get a clear view.

Up until a few years ago an airstrip was laid out on the sand and you'd get lighter items operating off the beach, although that doesn't seem to happen any more, possibly due to the grass that seems to multiply year on year.

I have to confess to not going to Southport for years when I could've done, living within easy reach of it, because I was even more sniffy about seaside shows then than I am now. Once I did go, there aren't many I've missed since.

A couple of UKAR reports here from 2018 and 19 to give you the general idea:

https://www.airshows.co.uk/reports/uk/2 ... -air-show/

https://www.airshows.co.uk/reports/uk/2 ... -air-show/

Shame the night launch didn't return after the pandemic, it was great.

[jasonT1981]

Thanks, giving it consideration. Would prefer to do Duxford the following weekend but right now there are 2 different local events on here the weekend of Duxford BoB.

Seems easy enough to get to from Liverpool or Manchester and hotels/trains are quite cheap

[jprplays]

Unfortunately with Southport compared to other seaside shows, the beach is actually owned by Sefton Council.

You see it brought up many times on the airshow page "why do Southport charge when you get to see the same at Blackpool" Etc, and the reason is above.

I'll be honest Southport isn't a bad show, its just very weather dependant as they will cancel if the beach is "Flooded" as has happed a few times over the years.

Usually I'd attend every year but with the line up basically being the same since 2017 apart from the RoKAF Black Eagles/Swede's etc it has gotten very stale!

One thing to remember..... airshow weekend Southport is basically a giant parking lot!!!

[clearstone]

Except, they no longer use the beach for car parking and in 2024 they moved the crowd-line much closer to the Sea Wall. Less chance of being flooded out.

[jasonT1981]

I've decided to do Southport, making a 10day trip. Starting off up in Southport and then going down to London, and finishing off with Duxford the following weekend.

Would you recommend staying in Southport itself or staying in Manchester or Liverpool and getting the train into Southport each day? I'm thinking more of things to do in the evening as there doesn't seem much to do in Southport afterwards.

While it is a paid show, does that only apply to the beach? A hotel I have looked at is very close to the seafront so no real point buying tickets if I can stand in the carpark and watch lol.

Though I might still buy admission even if I don't go into the beach part just to help out as seaside shows need the money more.

[Holty]

I'd get a hotel in Liverpool as Merseyrail have a direct link to Southport and Southport station is a very short walk to the Pier.

I would however find a pub to have a cheeky pint in after the show as the first few trains back to Liverpool are understandably rammed..

[DerekF]

The Premier Inn at the seafront is a little way back and is good to park in if you're staying. You wont see much from the car park though and it's only £12 to get in anyway. Compared to ther shows, a bit of a bargain really. The Premier Inn also has "event pricing" meaning it will be astronomical that weekend. The display line is a bit too far from there and I found it was too far from the sea wall as well, at least it was in 2023 when I was last there. I think it may have moved as there's no beach parking. In 2023 the beach was treacherous with a lot of very slippery mud.

[Wrexham Mackem]

As Holty says, a stay in Liverpool makes sense. The Merseyrail service up to Southport is frequent, cheap and the trains are quite long. I use it every time I visit Southport Airshow. The train service that comes from Manchester is nowhere near as good.

As Derek says, the show is cheap to enter and you won't see much unless you go in, its a no brainer. The sand can vary from firm and damp to soaking - its certainly messy and difficult to put stuff down. I bring a few bin bags so I can put by camera bag down etc, but if you take photographs or even just want to get the best view its worth going down to the crowdline.

Unfortunately for me the show clashes with the Victory Show this year, although both are two day shows so lets see what the line-ups bring.

[jasonT1981]

Thank you everyone

Staying in Liverpool it is. Found hotels very close to train station too. Despite my many trips to England each year, I haven't been north of Cosford/Birmingham in over 20 years lol.

I had originally wanted to do Blackpool but it clashed with an event in Dublin I am going to with a friend, So I noticed Southport is the week before Duxford and decided to do a long trip for both of them with a few days in London.

[benji1867]

do they still allow people onto the pier? haven't done southport since 2015, but since it's in the school holidays, so taking the teacher wife ad are booked into the Prem Inn

[Holty]

do they still allow people onto the pier? haven't done southport since 2015, but since it's in the school holidays, so taking the teacher wife ad are booked into the Prem Inn

Nah, its closed indefinitely it would seem..

from Lancs Live:

Fears have been raised that plans to repair and re-open Southport Pier could be "mothballed".

The once-popular pier was closed in December 2022 on the advice of engineers after a period of extreme weather. Subsequent analysis of the pier's structure determined the popular attraction was no longer safe to use and Sefton Council is attempting to source funding to carry out the necessary repairs.

[Varkfan]

How far is the display line from the crowd line? Does the end of the pier have any bearing on the display line distance from the crowdline?

[Wrexham Mackem]

No the pier has no bearing. The display line is regulation distance, as per an airfield venue. 230m for fast stuff.

[jasonT1981]

Rich Goodwin jet pitts is the first announcement