Bournemouth Air Festival to Return in 2010
Council Announces Third Four Day Air Show at Bournemouth for 2010
Aug 24, 2009
The second four day More Bus Bournemouth Air Festival took place from Thursday August 20th to Sunday August 23rd, 2009. With press reports declaring that more than 1.25 million people (double 2008’s number) attended over the four days, Council officers are declaring it a huge success. But, not everything went smoothly. With the announcement that the flying extravaganza will be repeated in 2010, the organisers need to learn from this year’s lessons.
Four Days of Superb Flying over Bournemouth
The 2009 flying display line up was impressive. The famous Red Arrows appeared, as did the Avro Vulcan and the Eurofighter Typhoon – all three of them proving they must be the noisiest of all display aircraft and teams. There were also appearances by the wing walking Team Guinot, the Blades (a civilian formation display team formed of ex-Red Arrows pilots) and other aircraft such as the Sally B Flying Fortress.
But the more sedate Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was only able to display on two of its scheduled days because of high winds. Two planned jumps by the RAF Falcon Display Team were also cancelled due to high winds and finally, low level cloud shortened the last display by the Red Arrows. However, whilst issues with the weather can’t be controlled, problems involving events on the ground can.
Guinness World Record “Roar on the Shore” Disappointment
As well as the aircraft, there were also many activities and displays on the ground such as a mock hijacked yacht rescue and beach assault by the Royal Marines, military bands playing in the Gardens and various market stalls, funfairs and street entertainers. One of those ground events, on the first evening of the festival, was the much hyped pyrotechnics display dubbed “Roar on the Shore”.
The aim of “Roar on the Shore “ was to beat the existing Guinness World Record for the highest number of fireworks to be let off in one minute. The organisers planned to fire 110,000 rockets in less than 60 seconds. It was also headlined as a fundraising event for the military charity, Help for Heroes. The record was broken but the spectators were left unmoved.
Families, numbering tens of thousands, headed for the beach on that warm but breezy Thursday evening in anticipation of a fantastic spectacle. What they got was a six second low burst of fireworks followed by what looked like a fire on the launching barge. They came away extremely disappointed only to find there was gridlock on the town’s roads for two hours as everyone tried to head home at the same time.
Planning for Bournemouth Air Festival 2010
Traffic congestion was a constant feature of all four days of the Air Festival. Flying finished between 4pm and 5pm which caused particular problems for workers in the town who had to battle with festival goers for space on the roads for their commute home on the Thursday and Friday evenings. Commuter drives took nearly three times as long as usual. There were also problems trying to find anywhere to park throughout the four days.
As the Council begins its planning for Bournemouth Air Festival 2010, it is hoped that better traffic management measures will be put in place. There are already calls for more park and ride sites and better publicity about them. The park and ride fees should also be reviewed. At £10 for up to seven people in 2009, the cost is OK for a large family but expensive for a couple or an individual.
Visiting Bournemouth Air Festival 2010 – August 19th to 22nd
Bournemouth Air Festival 2010 looks set to be just as successful and, if the last two years’ figures are anything to go by, could see up to 3 million people visit over the four days. For anyone vaguely thinking of attending, it is vital that any overnight hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation that might be required is booked well in advance.
For anyone planning to visit just for a day, give serious consideration to leaving the car at home and using public transport. Bournemouth train station is only a 10 minute stroll from the centre of the action. Out of town bus and coach services also drop off at the station travel interchange. If public transport is not feasible then please make full use of the park and ride facilities.
Spectators may also like to consider watching the aircraft come and go from Bournemouth International Airport - they will certainly get good close up photography opportunities. In both 2008 and 2009, many of the aircraft used the airport as their base, including the Red Arrows and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Sources:
- Bournemouth Echo newspaper
- Bournemouth Borough Council
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