English Riviera Airshow (Previously Torbay Airshow) is located in the skies of Torbay with the town of Paignton being centre stage.

• The Two day event is free to attend and usually takes place over the first weekend of June on Paignton Green offering entertainment for all the family.
• For those wishing to upgrade their experience of the Air show, tickets are available for the Family FlyBy and the pop-up SkyBar. Further details can be found here.
• Parking is available to purchase in advance at torbayairshow.com prices are from £10 plus a booking fee. They sell out fast though, so you’ll want to be quick.
• Toilets are located on the green near the pier. The permanent toilets have a charge of 30p

Tip: The queues for toilets can get very long, I just walked over to one of the pubs across the road, plus these are usually much cleaner.

The Event Village

• Saturday – 11:00 – 18:00 on the green.
• Sunday – 10:30 – :18:00 on the green.

Airshow

• Saturday – 14:00 and finishing at 17:30.
• Sunday – 11:30 and finishing at 15:00.

The event village on the main green (Redcliff end) and virtually the whole promenade has food stalls if you don’t want to leave the vicinity. The Melted Cheese Hut with gourmet toasties was one of my favourites in 2018, sadly not to be seen in 2019. I did find the Big Greek Feed in 2019 near the Redcliff end that looked to be the best from what was on offer and I wasn’t disappointed with my choice, it was delicious. For 2024 there was a bar on the main green £7 a pint at the Redcliffe end and Bays Brewery had a bar on Preston green. This year 2022 Bays Brewery will have TWO bars, with Bays usual ales, Devon Rock lager and Hunts Andsome Bay cider at £4.50 a pint, plus a £1 deposit for the plastic glass. One bar was located on the green (Redcliff end), the other on the Eastern Esplanade near the geopark.  The bar 2018 is located on the Green, Redcliff End, it was £4, Strongbow, Brains Smooth or Fosters.  If you’re willing to pay a little extra , there is the Sky Bar located on the Redcliff end of the green, entry was £15.

There are plenty of local pubs and restaurants you can also choose. Some of which you will still be able to see the action while you eat:

• Costero Lounge (Great view from small rooftop balcony)
• Spinning Wheel (fairly central to the action)
• Inn On The Green
• Harbour Inn (good view from rooftop)
• Harbour Light (good view from balcony)
• Henry’s Bar (no view, but great food and beer)
• Hyde Dendy
• Mercure
• Talk of the Town (Spoons, no view, but affordable)

For more check out Paignton.

With no parking on many roads around Paignton or Preston over the weekend and a number of roads close to the seafront will be closed altogether. Public transport will be the best option, If I was coming from further a field I would come by train.

• Car, Sat Nav TQ4 6AG. Many roads are closed and restrictions apply across the entire town centre. Free parking is available on some side roads just out of the town centre,  Palace Ave, New Street, Littlegate Rd, Lower Polsham Rd etc. but not a great deal and fill up very quickly. Paid parking behind the library for all day is £10, you’ll also miss most of the queuing to get out of the closest car park in the nearby Victoria car park which is for advanced bookings only and costs £10 for the day plus booking fee. Access is via Sands Rd through Queens Park Rd with the one way system changed to allow two way traffic for the event. With only one road in & out to Dartmouth Rd, you will be stuck in a queue if you leave at 5pm with everyone else.
• Park and ride, service from Quaywest & Broadsands car park throughout the weekend. (Broadsands Park & Ride was closed for 2018)
• Bus, There will be additional capacity on the bus services in and out of Paignton across the event weekend. The station is only a 5 minute walk to the seafront.
• Train, Extra carriages are put on to help with the number of people and the station is only a 5 minute walk to the seafront. When you leave they have a queuing system in place with 3 queues, one heading for Torquay, one for Newton or Exeter & one for Plymouth or Totnes. They were even giving out free GWR branded bottled water last  year. This is a great option for those coming from further afield.
• Ferry, From Paignton harbour will be running to and from Brixham and Torquay every 30 minutes throughout the festival weekend. This a great way to arrive if you like the scenic route and for £6 (one way 2024).

• If you do come, check the weather reports and choose the better day, it can be cancelled due to rain and low cloud.
• Toilets are located on the green near the pier. The permanent toilets have a charge of 30p.
• The queues for toilets can get very long, I just walked over to one of the pubs across the road, plus these are usually much cleaner.
• Don’t forget the sunscreen, I saw many tomato faced beings wandering the green.
• Take a pack lunch with you to save yourself some money.
• Bring a folding chair or blanket, so your not stood for hours on end or sat on concrete.
• If you choose to view from a less crowded area then its best to keep your eye on www.torbayairshow.com for the latest updates.
• Disabled parking is available from www.torbayairshow.com, prices from £10 plus a booking fee.