Thousands of people from all over the country are expected to flock to the North Yorkshire coast on Saturday (June 25) for this year’s prestigious Armed Forces Day national event.
Scarborough’s celebration of the nation’s Armed Forces – the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force (RAF), promises to be a dazzling spectacle of military displays and activities on water, land and in the skies.
The opening display at 10.30am will be a daring demonstration of freefall and canopy skills by the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team.
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The the Armed Forces Day parade along the seafront will follow, featuring serving personnel, marching bands, veterans, standard bearers and cadets.
At 11.25am the parade salute will coincide with a flypast of the Royal Navy Merlin Mk2 and Wildcat helicopters, and the Navy Wings charity’s Seafire.
Spectacular air displays will continue throughout the afternoon.
At 1pm the pilots of the RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, will take their distinctive red Hawk jets to the skies for 20-minutes to wow the crowds with their legendary formations and aeronautical skills.
The Avro Lancaster, Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will fly over at 2pm, followed by a display from the Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter at 2.30pm.
A display from the Royal Navy Stinson Reliant will take place at 3pm before a display by the Royal Navy Seafire at 3.30pm.
At 4pm the might and roar of the RAF Typhoon’s twin EJ200 R-R engines and its precision for tight loops and turns will bring the air display programme to a memorable close.
Elsewhere, the West Pier in South Bay will host a display of military hardware from all three services.
In the bay will be the Royal Navy Type 23 Duke Class Frigate and Tide Class Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
On the pier will be the Royal Navy dive team and explosive ordnance disposal vehicle.
Meanwhile, the British Army will show off its high mobility weapons platform, Jackal 2, while the RAF will offer a Typhoon flying experience in its facsimile aircraft.
Budding pilots will also be able to experience a ‘day in the life of the RAF’ with a nine minutes long high-tempo interactive experience.
All three services will also have individual military villages on Marine Drive.
Along the seafront there will be many different stalls and displays from charities, sponsors and supporting organisations.
After a closing ceremony at 5pm, the celebrations will continue into the evening with concerts at Scarborough Spa and Scarborough Open Air Theatre.
With thousands of people expected to make long journeys to Scarborough for the national event, and the day coinciding with a national rail strike on June 25 that will affect train services, Scarborough Borough Council is encouraging people to plan ahead.
Councillor Tony Randerson, Armed Forces champion and cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: "We are extremely proud and excited to be hosting this year's Armed Forces Day national event and we are looking forward to welcoming people from all over the country to Scarborough and the wider borough.
"The packed programme and the many supporting events either side of Armed Forces Day have been designed to create a wow factor, promote pride in our Armed Forces and entertain all those watching and taking part.
"The final countdown to what will be a historic occasion for our borough has begun and we can’t wait."
The day is being preceeded by a week of events in Scarborough, Whitby and Filey. including a flag-flying ceremony involving a Royal Navy mine vessel.
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