News of the birth of two babies delight Blackpool Airshow crowds after shock deliveries at event

Members of the show’s audience packed on the Promenade gasped with delight when it was announced over the loudspeakers on Sunday that two babies had been born during the event on Saturday.

The announcement came amid various birthday and other special occasion greetings and no further details were given, but a spokesperson for Visit Blackpool said it was understood one of the babies had been been born on North Pier and the other in the back of an ambulance at an unspecified location.

The news of the births added to the delight of one of the busiest weekends of the year in the resort, as the seafront and all available vantage points were packed over the two days for an array of spectacular aerial displays from the Red Arrows and more of the world’s top military and civilian aircraft.

The Promenade was closed to all traffic between Chapel Street and Springfield Road on each afternoon of the show to ease access for pedestrians. Bus routes which normally include the Prom were diverted and the tramway was also closed in that area, operating a split service from North Pier and Manchester Square.

There was heavy congestion on the M55 westbound between junctions three (Greenhalgh) and four (Marton), with some delays also around the Broughton junction with the M6 on both days as visitors flocked to the resort from various parts of the country.

Later on both days, there were tailbacks as far as junction two (Edith Rigby Way) on the M55 as drivers queued to join the M6 at Broughton after leaving the show.

A man on a jet ski threatened to delay the start of the second day of the airshow.

He was spotted with a flag with the words “stop the boats” on it before the event was due to begin its second day, but he left the scene before switching any timings had to be considered.

That came after a clash between anti-immigration protesters and left-wing punks outside the Metropole Hotel on Saturday.

The protesters, who were challenged by the punks in town for the Rebellion Festival, had gathered outside the Metropole on the Promenade, which has housed asylum seekers since 2021.

Video footage showed some protesters holding Union Jack flags, with an England flag carrying the words: “Send them home”.

The punks were heard singing “Bella Ciao” – a protest folk song originally sung by seasonal workers in Italy – while the protesters chanted the name of the British political activist known as Tommy Robinson.

The airshow attendance over the two days has been estimated at a quarter of a million, but Visit Blackpool say it will be sometime before an exact figure is known.

The spokesperson said it will be early next month before Visitor Insight data is available while figures for the number of vehicles on the resort’s car parks are likely to be confirmed later this week.

The North West Ambulance Service and the St John Ambulance were both contacted for further information on the births but none was available before our deadline.