Eastbourne's 'Airbourne' Festival Grounded Again

Thursday, 18 February 2021 08:45

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Airbourne, Eastbourne's international airshow will not be taking to the skies this summer with the event hopefully rescheduled for 2022.

The organisers said this morning (February 18) that the decision to cancel this event takes into account the continuing forms of social distancing measures, ensuring the safety of Eastbourne's residents and visitors.

Work will commence on looking at how Airbourne can become a sustainable event for 2022 and will hopefully return from 18 - 21 August 2022.

Eastbourne Borough Council Lead Cabinet Member for Tourism and Enterprise, Cllr Margaret Bannister said:

"Airbourne draws thousands of spectators each year and with large ticketed events, such as Glastonbury, confirming postponements due to concerns over managing numbers of attendees, it would be impossible for us to safely manage numbers at a non-ticketed event as popular Airbourne.

"The decision to postpone has not been taken lightly however we know that it is the responsible one to make.

"There will still be plenty to look forward to this summer with plans well underway for a range of smaller, ticketed events throughout August where numbers can be managed safely in line with social distancing restrictions with updates to be announced soon."

According to the local authority, all work on Airbourne so far will be rolled over to 2022, including the supported charities and the People's charity choice.

All those booking trade stands, hospitality and seating will be contacted in due course with options to transfer to 2022 or receive a refund.

Airbourne returns from 18 - 21 August 2022.

A mailing list at https://www.eastbourneairshow.com allows members of the public to receive event and flying announcements for 2022.