A summer’s evening of music, action and airborne excitement is set to transform the sky above Swansea this July.

For the first time, hot air balloons and night-flying aerobatic teams will be gathering to party over Swansea as part of the Wales Airshow weekend.

The special event from 8.30pm on July 6, which will also feature music from 1969, is being staged to help celebrate the city’s 50^th anniversary and the show is expected to be really exciting.

Robert Francis-Davies, Cabinet Member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said the Wales Airshow is already one of the UK’s biggest free events but this year, we wanted to do something extra to mark the city’s 50^th anniversary year.

He said: “The Wales Airshow is all about the spectacular and we know that the huge crowds it draws to the city really appreciate the aerial displays and ground events which form the main part of the event.

“We’re among the Red Arrows’ biggest fans and that’s why they made sure we were on their summer schedule for both days of the event.

“But the ‘After Dark’ event promises to add something really special for evening visitors to enjoy. Anyone who’s ever seen hot air balloons by night will know what an amazing sight they are.

“The hot air firing balloons will be spaced out and tethered along Swansea beach and we’ll also have the Fireflies Display Team – two display aircraft with fireworks firing off their wings – doing a night-time stunt show.

“Also planned is a night-time jump by the Tigers parachute display team, one of our Wales Airshow regulars.”

On the ground there will be live music nostalgically taking people back to the late 60s to celebrate some of the sounds topping the charts in the year that Swansea was first designated as a city.

Cllr Francis-Davies said: “Swansea 50 is a celebration of our city’s past, present and future and the Wales Airshow comes less than a week after the official anniversary date of July 3.

“The Wales Airshow has become part of our city’s history and modern heritage with around 250,000 visitors taking to the beach across the two days of the event. We wanted to do something a bit special for the 50^th anniversary and ‘After Dark’ at the Airshow will be just that.”

‘This is just one of many events planned throughout the year to commemorate Swansea’s 50^th anniversary. Residents and businesses are also being asked to join in by coming up with their own events and ideas to celebrate the unique milestone.

To find out how you can be part of Swansea 50 go to www.swansea50.co.uk

Three iconic World War II aircraft will bring history to life on both days of this summer’s Wales Airshow.

As part of the celebrations marking Swansea’s 50 years as a city, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will showcase three of just a handful of planes still in the air more than 70 years after their finest hours.

The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (RAFBBMF) is administratively part of the Royal Air Force No 1 Group and operates from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

The Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Avro Lancaster will make their mark at the Wales Airshow on July 6 and 7 in front of huge crowds.

The aircraft are regularly seen at events commemorating World War II, upon British State occasions, notably the Trooping the Colour celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday and at air displays throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. They are proud to have HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge as their Patron.

The free event run by Swansea Council has already announced that the RAF Red Arrows will feature in the line-up.

Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is arguably the most historic and evocative flight display in British history.

“Without the planes, the pilots, the crews and the thousands working on the ground that supported our fighters and bombers, Britain’s story could have been very different.

“To see them in flight is to bring history to life and in the 50^th anniversary year of our inauguration as a city we are proud to be hosting them here in Swansea.

“Combining with modern aircraft, cutting-edge aerobatic displays and ground-based entertainment, this display is among many that many thousands of spectators will enjoy in the skies above Swansea.

“The council is working on attracting many more exciting additions to the line-up in coming weeks – on the ground as well as in the air. There will be exciting displays, state-of-the-art military aircraft and vintage planes.

“Last year’s Airshow saw record attendances and we’re looking to make the 2019 show bigger with even more exciting air display teams and entertainment.”

Figures show the Wales Airshow attracted 250,000 people last year and was estimated to be worth £9.7m to the local economy.

David Bailey, customer service manager of rail company GWR, the Wales Airshow’s official rail travel partner, said:

“Great Western Railway will help bring more people than ever to Swansea this year with our new Intercity Express Trains providing almost a quarter more seats on every service than the trains they have replaced.

“GWR is proud to sponsor the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at this year’s Wales Airshow.

“Over the years we have been honoured to name some of our trains after those who served including Battle of Britain pilot Squadron Leader Harold Starr and veteran of the Dambuster raid, Johnny Johnson – forever linking our railway to the regions we serve.”

This summer marks the fifth consecutive year for the Wales Airshow in Swansea.

SWANSEA’S Wales Airshow has had another brilliant year with hundreds of thousands of people descending on the city to enjoy the country’s biggest free show.

Two days of flying featuring The Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and fighter planes from World War I proved irresistible to visitors from all over the UK.

Across the weekend, huge crowds turned up to enjoy a whole range of shows on the ground as well as in the air.

Robert Francis-Davies, Cabinet Member for Innovation, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “It was yet another fantastic weekend for Swansea.

“The Airshow contributes more than £8.4m to local businesses and local economy every year. It’s been a brilliant Airshow.

“Thanks to the clear skies, we had our best ever Saturday with tens of thousands of people on the beach soaking up the sunshine and the show. We’re still evaluating Sunday’s figures after the rain but it has been a truly amazing weekend. Despite the showers, Sunday’s show still went ahead and we only had to cancel two of the 18 flying displays.”

For safety and security reasons this year’s show saw road closures on Oystermouth Road, but this also meant that visitors had more space to enjoy increased ground displays including a rare appearance on the ground of a RAF Red Arrow.

Cllr Francis-Davies said: “This year the RAF is celebrating its 100^th anniversary, we’re commemorating the centenary of the end of World War I and Saturday was Armed Forces Day.

“The Wales Airshow was the perfect platform for all these occasions – a mix of old favourites as well as new recruits such as live music featuring local bands on the ground and the Bremont Great War Team including British SE5 biplanes and a German Junkers CL1.

Cllr Francis-Davies said: “The real stars of the show, apart from those in the skies, were the hundreds of thousands of people who come to enjoy a day out or a weekend in Swansea. The family atmosphere they helped generate resulted in one of the best weekends the city has seen.

“Following so closely on from BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend in Singleton Park and seven days after The Killers took the Liberty Stadium by storm, it just proved that Swansea has got the biggest and best stage for summer events.”

“I also want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the tremendous effort put in by council staff, South Wales Police and by our other partners to make the event such a brilliant showcase. I’d also like to thank our sponsors who help to support the sustainability of the Show.

“We’re confident that the thousands of visitors who enjoyed themselves this year will return to Swansea Bay again soon. We are already looking forward to the rest of this year’s events calendar, giving more people even more reasons to visit this year.”