Royal International Air Tattoo

The Royal International Air Tattoo is an airshow at RAF Fairford, just south of Fairford in the south Cotswolds, held over three days each July. The 2027 Air Tattoo runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 July. It is run by the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, a registered charity, and a general admission ticket gives you both the flying display and the aircraft parked on the ground.

Opening times and the flying display

The showground opens at 7.30am every day and closes at 6pm on the Friday and 7.30pm on the Saturday and Sunday. The flying display runs from 11am to 3pm on the Friday, more than four hours, and from 10am to 5.30pm on the Saturday and Sunday, more than seven. On the Friday afternoon more aircraft arrive for the weekend, and the western end of the showground stays closed that day while aircraft are positioned.

Tickets

Tickets are sold for a single day, the weekend or all three days, and anyone who arrives without one is turned away. A ticket-holding adult can bring under-18s free, with no limit on the number, and 17-year-olds may be asked for proof of age. Seats in the Viewing Village cost extra, from £30.50 a person for the garden and £44.50 for the grandstand; general admission prices are on the booking site.

Getting there and parking

Car parking costs £15 a car, or £7.50 a motorbike, and must be booked in advance; the car parks open at 6am and are mostly on grass off the base, up to about 1.2km (three quarters of a mile) from the gates, with no shuttle from them to the showground. The organisers say there are no electric car charging points and no dogs or other animals in the car parks. Instead of driving, there is a free park and ride from South Cerney and shuttle buses from Swindon bus station and from Cheltenham Racecourse, with seats booked with your tickets.

Where to stay near Fairford

In Fairford, the Bull Hotel is on the Market Place; the Keepers Arms at Quenington and the New Inn at Coln St Aldwyns are a short drive north. On a quieter day, see the medieval glass in St Mary's Church, Fairford, or walk by the Thames at Lechlade.