Sunderland Airshow will return for 2021, council chiefs promise

Bosses at Sunderland City Council grounded the 2020 edition of the annual showpiece event as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

But the the council’s ruling cabinet offered a ‘guarantee’ it would be back in Wearside’s calendar in time for 2021.

“Part of the big issue that we’ve had is basically ensuring social distancing,” said Coun John Kelly, cabinet member for Communities and Culture.

“With that in mind, we’ve taken decisions to close or to cancel a number of events, where possible we have rerouted those to later in the year.

“That will again be subject to government advice on whether or not it’s safe to do so.

“Unfortunately for the first time in 32 years, we will not have an Air Show in Sunderland this year.

“However, I can guarantee it will be back the following year.”

Coun Kelly’s comments on the event were broadcast online via Youtube in the first city council meeting to be held virtually due to COVID-19.

The Airshow is not the only event in the city’s diary to be axed, with the Active Sunderland Festival, River Festival and City Centre Food Festival also called off.

Other planned events have been postponed or pushed back, with the Sunderland Run Festival now due to be held in September and the inaugural Lamplight Festival, which was due to be headlined by the Kaiser Chiefs, now slated to take place in August 2021, government guidelines permitting.

This year’s Airshow, which would have marked its 32nd year, was scheduled to be held over the last weekend of July (July 24 – 26).

Hundreds of thousands of spectators usually attend the summer event, with aerial displays by the RAF’s Red Arrows team among regular highlights.

It is estimated about 400,000 turned out for last year’s (2019) edition of the Airshow, pumping more than £5million into the Wearside economy.

Data from Sunderland City Council has shown 634,500 people visited or took part in events across Sunderland in 2019, 135 of which were held on council-owned land, with 49 led by the city council itself.

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