Torbay air show to remain two-day free event, council decides

It attracts thousands of visitors each year

The English Riviera Airshow will remain a two-day free-for-all display after councillors voted in favour of expanding the show.

It has been running in Torbay since 2016, and will continue in 2024.

Torbay Council's leader had said major changes needed to be made about how the show was funded and there were talks of cancelling the event altogether.

However at a meeting on Tuesday the council favoured expanding the show and keeping it free of charge.

Speaking at the meeting of the council's cabinet, deputy leader Conservative councillor Chris Lewis said: "I would like to see it become the people's air show, a bit like Teignmouth, where the council has no involvement and it is community-led.

"We can't afford to run it as we have done over the past few years."

The 2023 air show cost the council around £190,000, although studies showed that for every pound spent, more than £15 came back into the local economy in money spent by show-goers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

The meeting heard the council had agreed to put in £100,000 for 2024 with hopes it would get match-funding from sponsors and other sources.

Expansion ideas included adding more attractions such as a music festival or a car show.

Conservative councillor Nick Bye said he had been sceptical when it began in 2016, but had since changed his view.

"I see our air show as an investment in happiness," he said. "It brings all generations together in a way it is hard to imagine any other event doing.

"It goes to the heart of what sort of place Torbay should be - a vibrant place for all generations."