Display times are approximate and shift through the day. The organisers post live changes on Instagram @southportairshow.
£13 plus booking fee. Under-16s go free. Groups of 10 or more pay £12 each. A ticket covers one day only.
You can buy at the box office on the day, but booking ahead skips the queue. Book on See Tickets.
Train is easiest. Southport station is a 10-minute walk. Merseyrail runs a £2 adult return (£1 child) from any Merseyrail station on show days.
Driving: sat nav postcode PR8 1RY. Roads close near the seafront — once you see event signs, follow those and ignore the sat nav.
Parking is £10 per car, paid on the day: Marine Drive, Princes Park, the Esplanade car park and Victoria Park, all about five minutes' walk from the front. Coaches go to the Esplanade.
Traffic updates and live commentary run on Dune Radio (DAB+ or duneradio.co.uk).
The display line runs parallel to the shore over the sands, so the whole beach works — there's no wrong side. The seawall gives height and a clean sightline; the beach gets you closer but the sand is soft and wet in patches.
Check the tide before you set off. A high tide shrinks the beach and pushes everyone up onto the seawall and Marine Drive.
Bring binoculars. The aircraft work offshore, so they're further away than they look in photos.
Layers and a windproof. The seafront runs several degrees colder than the forecast number, and late August on the Irish Sea means showers are likely.
Own food is fine. No BBQs, gas stoves or open fires.
Ear defenders for small children — the Typhoon and the jets are genuinely loud.
Sunscreen anyway. Overcast on an exposed beach still burns.
Drones are illegal inside the show's restricted airspace. Don't bring one.
Also banned, with random searches on entry: laser devices, smoke canisters, fireworks, knives and blades, firearms, ammunition, transmitting devices, illegal substances.
Dogs are allowed on leads but strongly discouraged because of the aircraft noise. Off the lead and you'll be asked to leave.
Two fenced accessible viewing areas on the seawall — one near the fish wind display, one near the Pier. Both are hard standing with an unimpeded view and dedicated accessible toilets. You make your own way there; stewards are on hand.
Accessible parking at the Esplanade and Marine Drive (hard standing) and Princes Park and Victoria Park (grass), first come first served on a blue badge at the normal rate. Tell event staff on arrival.
Carers come in free with proof of Carer's Allowance, Attendance Allowance, DLA or PIP, issued at the box office.
Aircraft transit in from other airfields, so a shower somewhere between there and Southport can scrub a slot even when it's clear over the beach. Older warbirds are the first to go.
Slots also slide. If something's late, the whole afternoon shuffles — this page assumes the published running order, so trust the sky over the screen.