WALES AIRSHOW: How the 2026 show played out over Swansea Bay

The Wales Airshow closed on Sunday evening after two days of flying over Swansea Bay and, for the first time, a night.

Council leader Rob Stewart said well over 100,000 people turned out on the Saturday alone, calling it the biggest free event in Wales.

Saturday brought the aircraft the show was built around. The RAF Typhoon ran the length of the bay, low enough and loud enough that the promenade felt it.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight brought its wartime Dakota over the water, the transport that carried paratroopers into Normandy.

The Fairey Swordfish came past at a fraction of the Typhoon’s speed, fabric and struts and invasion stripes, flying alongside a Royal Navy Wasp in a pairing that spanned nearly forty years of naval aviation.

Above it all, the AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers flew with a performer standing on the top wing of a Boeing Stearman.

Then the light went, and the show did something it had never done before. Afterburn ran on the Saturday night alone: pyrotechnics over the water, the Typhoon’s afterburners lighting the bay, and 200 drones building Swansea out of light above the sand.

Dylan Thomas’s signature. Swansea Jack. The Mumbles Train. A red dragon over the shoreline, and a formation of red, white and blue aircraft the council says was a deliberate tribute to the absent Red Arrows, who were in the United States helping the country celebrate its 250th anniversary.

When the show was announced in June, head of cultural services Tracey McNulty said she was optimistic the team would be back in Swansea next year, because they had always told the council they liked the crowds here.

The drone sequence finished in two languages, nos da above goodnight, and the fireworks went up off the sand.

Sunday started a display short. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight pulled out of the second day, taking its Spitfire, Hurricane and Dakota with it.

What was left still filled the afternoon. The Typhoon flew again, along with the RAF Tutor, the Rolls-Royce Spitfire, the Gazelle Squadron and the Strikemaster Pair, over the bay for the first time.

Three acts appeared at the Wales Airshow for the first time this year. The Starlings Aerobatic Team flew both days, as did the Grumman Firecat, a French firefighting water bomber in the colours of the Sécurité Civile.

The council says the Firecat drew one of the weekend’s biggest reactions with a water drop over the bay. An Apache attack helicopter, the third debut, flew on the Saturday.

Away from the flying, the seafront carried a military village, live music, a funfair, market stalls and food stands, with aircraft parked up on the sand for anyone who wanted to get close to one.

Cabinet member for development Andrew Williams said the weekend had shown again why the airshow is one of Swansea’s flagship events.

He said: “The incredible aerial displays, family attractions, and vibrant atmosphere created a memorable experience for residents and visitors alike.”

Williams said events of this kind support the local economy and showcase Swansea as a visitor destination. Tourism was worth close to £700m to the county in 2025.

The council said before the weekend that the two days draw more than 200,000 people. Last year’s show closed with what it called record crowds. No total has been published for 2026.

The airshow moved to late July this year to keep clear of Swansea’s Ironman weekend, putting it on the first weekend of the school holidays. Bus travel across the city was free over the weekend, and stays free every weekend until the August bank holiday.

Dates for 2027 have not yet been announced.