If you’re looking to attend the totally FREE Wales Airshow with your young kids, then you might want to read this post. Or you might not. Either way, I’m going to discuss attending the Wales Airshow with our three young children and what to expect if you do the same.
Is it worth taking three young children to the Wales Airshow?
No messing about, let’s just get straight into the meat of it. If you’re reading this then you might be wondering whether an all-day air show is worth taking your young kids too. Well we’ve attended for a few years now and as of the 2023 airshow our kids were aged 6,3, and 1. So we clearly think it’s a good shout for young kids.
First of all, it’s totally FREE.
Kind of. You do have to pay for parking – which was £21 – but we literally got to park a stone’s throw from the beach. You could quite easily watch the show from the car if you really wanted to. We stayed in the orange car park just for reference. You could stay at the other end that would put you closer to the other bunch of market stalls though. Speaking of which…
The market stalls are quite spread out – which is a negative
Generally speaking we like to hit up the markets when we go to things like the Wales Airshow – probably even more so these days since we’ll be doing them ourselves soon! But from the orange (civic centre) car park to the far end of the beach is quite a walk with young kids. Don’t ask me how far, but if I was pushed for an answer I’d go with a 30+ minute walk. For that reason, it might be better going with a different car park other than the orange (civic centre) one, but I guess sometimes you stick with what you know, so we always end up there.
As for the market stalls themselves, I’m sorry to say, but they are mostly a bit shit. There’s not really a lot there and most of them consist of Army/Navy/RAF related ones. I guess this whole thing is a bit of a recruitment drive so it’s understandable that that’s the case. They do have some more interactive elements to them, like they had a simulators, various trucks that kids could sit in, but there’s not a chance in hell our middle child is entering that as not even the army could manage to adequately get him out.
So for me, I’d rather it if they had more food stalls. Oh, and if they could also be free that would be great, but I understand that’s not happening.
Safety with Children at Wales Airshow
Wales Airshow does have some good Information for Parents that details essential facilities like baby changing areas, lost children facilities, and the ‘Tag your Tots‘ system, which isn’t something you hope you need, but at events like this children can certainly get lost.
The wristbands, sponsored by Dawsons, are bright, waterproof, and the quickest way to help a lost child. You can easily collect them at various points around the event, and they instruct you to write your mobile number on the back. It’s a small but crucial detail that adds an extra layer of security when you’re out and about with the kids in a crowded place. For us personally, after stepping along the walkway we were almost instantly approached by a lady offering the children these wristbands and again further along the walkway. So it was nice to see them actively trying to get these in place.
Taking your own food
I recommend planning to arrive early – it’s a bit of a pain hauling all your stuff to the beach, but it’s worth it, especially if you have young children. Parking is steep at £21 but it is worth being close. Besides, the event is free. So just count the £21 as the entrance fee with free parking.
Being close will allow you to set up ‘camp‘ for the day and keep everything within reach. Which brings me to food.
As far as food goes, we took our own. I suggest packing sealable tubs to keep the inevitable sand out and don’t forget a bag for rubbish. If you do want to splurge, there’s plenty of (overpriced) ice cream for the little ones to enjoy!
Eyes in the Sky – what to expect
First up, here’s a full rundown of what was on at the 2023 airshow:
- RAF Red Arrows – Saturday and Sunday
- Typhoon
- Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – Saturday and Sunday
- Team Raven – Saturday and Sunday
- Tigers Parachute Display Team – Saturday and Sunday
- Wildcat Helicopter – Saturday and Sunday
- AeroSuperBatics Wing walkers – Saturday and Sunday
- Yak 50 – Saturday and Sunday
- Jet Pitts G-JPIT – Saturday and Sunday
- Norwegian Vampire – Saturday and Sunday
- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt – Saturday and Sunday
- Harvard G-NWHF and Supermarine Seafire – Saturday
- Fairey Swordfish and Westland Wasp – Sunday
- Strikemasters – Saturday and Sunday
Obviously the main one that people mostly want to see are the Red Arrows. For the Sunday they literally kicked the show off. Which is both good and bad. It’s good as you’ve immediately seen the main attraction upon opening, so if shit goes south – with 3 kids that’s a 80% certainty – then at least you’ve seen the main display. The only downside is that you’ve immediately seen the main display. So the kids might quickly get a little more bored as the “cool ones with the colourful smoke” have finished.
I personally love the Red Arrows. But here’s some shite from my husband:
I will admit that I don’t quite get the hype with the Arrows – Sorry! Sure they’re great at what they do. But you watch the rest of the performances and there’s not a great deal of difference between Team Raven and the Red Arrows. I personally think the main difference is branding. The Red Arrows have just done a much better job at being known and having something more “iconic” about them. But if your kids are really into planes then chances are they’ll enjoy most of the other performances too, even if they’re not as “cool.”
Knobhead.
What about 2024
The Wales Airshow is indeed an event for the whole family and a day out that promises fun, excitement, and a little bit of awe at the wonders of aviation. They’ll be back in 2024 with the next event taking place on 6th and 7th July 2024. If you couldn’t tell by now, then yes, I do recommend you attending with young children. What else are you going to do that weekend? We’ll no doubt be there again next year.
You can find more information about the next event on the Wales Airshow website. We can’t wait to see you there!
