Covid: Blackpool Air Show cancelled for second year

The last Blackpool Air Show took place in 2019

Blackpool's annual summer air show has been cancelled for the second successive year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The free event, which attracts up to 100,000 visitors, was due to be staged on the seafront on 7-8 August.

Event organisers Visit Blackpool said there was too much uncertainty relating to the staging of mass events.

Councillor Gillian Campbell said: "We know that many other event organisers have faced a similar dilemma."

She said there was "no ready-made solution for managing large-scale outdoor events and it makes it impossible to plan ahead".

"Rest assured the Blackpool Air Show will be back and we have already made provisional arrangements for the 2022 event to be staged over the weekend of 6-7 August," she said.

A Visit Blackpool spokesman added: "There is no clear picture on how free-to-access outdoor events can benefit from proposed mitigation measures such as testing or any form of certification to reduce the risk of infection."

Visit Blackpool said other events in its programme would continue to be reviewed over the coming weeks in line with government guidance.

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