Bray Air Display

The Bray Air Display, also sometimes known as the Bray Air Show, is an air show which takes place in the seaside town of Bray, County Wicklow in Ireland. It typically takes place on a weekend in mid or late July. The event has been held annually since its inception in 2005,[1] except when it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] It is held on the Seafront, with planes flying over the Irish Sea, flanked by Bray Head to the south. The show is part of the town's Summerfest, with amusements and food and drink stands on the Seafront.

Breitling Wingwalkers at the 2018 Bray Air Display
Flight of historic Irish aircraft at 2018 event

The show lasts about two and a half hours,[1] and has included shows on both the Saturday and Sunday of the airshow weekend. The Saturday is usually, however, a practice day.

The event is free of charge to attend, and was attended by over 140,000 people in 2018, according to organisers.[3] Tickets can, however, be bought for a private area, known as the "Flight Deck", which includes a private BBQ and a bar, with free parking. Tickets were €120 per person in 2022.[4]

Past participants have included a US military Boeing C-17 Globemaster III,[5] the Royal Air Force Red Arrows,[6] Patrouille Suisse,[7] the Royal Jordanian Falcons[8] and the Black Knights[9] parachute team. Flag carrier airline Aer Lingus usually also perform a flypast at the event.

The 2023 show will take place on Saturday and Sunday, the 29th and 30th of July.[10]

Attending the event

Attendees are encouraged to use public transport as the event due to the extreme popularity of the event,[11] although parking is provided. Bray is served by several bus routes, as well as the Iarnród Éireann DART service. Road closures are often in place throughout the town over the weekend.

DART incident at 2022 show

The 2022 event took place on 24 July, the same day as the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final in Croke Park, a stadium with a capacity of over 80,000. This caused trains to be exceptionally busy. According to the Irish Examiner, at around 3pm, passengers "between Dalkey and Bray 'forced doors open' [after the train] stopped to 'await a clear platform at Bray". Some passengers reportedly experienced "panic attacks" due to there being "no air conditioning", with "families seen walking along the tracks towards Bray station".[12] The line was closed between Dalkey and Bray, before being reopened at around 5.15pm.[13]

References
  1. "Crowds turn out for 'spell-binding' Bray Air Display". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  2. O'Sullivan, Colman (2022-07-24). "Silver Swallows soar as Bray air show returns". rte.ie.
  3. "Bray Air Display". Artisan Events. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  4. "Hospitality at #BrayAirDisplay". #BrayAirDisplay. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  5. "Bray Air Show". RTÉ Archives. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  6. Lyne, Laura (2018-07-29). "In pictures: Crowd dazzled by amazing displays at 2018 Bray Air Show". DublinLive. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  7. Aer Lingus | Formation flying with Patrouille Suisse | Bray Air Display 2015, retrieved 2023-01-02
  8. Surve, Aakanksha (2019-07-23). "Thousands expected to attend Bray Air Display which takes off this weekend". DublinLive. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  9. "Hospitality at #BrayAirDisplay". #BrayAirDisplay. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  10. "Bray Air Display | July 29 & 30 2023". brayairdisplay.com. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  11. "Getting to the Bray Air Display". #BrayAirDisplay. 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  12. Capplis, Conor (2022-07-24). "Passengers clamber from Dart near Bray and walk along tracks amid train delays". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  13. "DART: Rail delays after passengers 'forced open doors' to walk on tracks". BBC News. 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
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