Two-day Festival of Flight proposal fails to take off

Two-day Festival of Flight proposal fails to take off

2 May 2018

IT appears increasingly likely that ambitious plans to turn Newcastle’s Festival of Flight into a two-day event will be grounded.

The August  spectacular — which will once again be headlined by the Red Arrows — attracts over 100,000 visitors to the resort and is one of Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s flagship tourism events.

The local authority funds the festival and has been offered an additional £10,000 from Tourism NI.

Council officials were keen to allocate additional funds and organise a two-day festival this summer, but it now seems highly unlikely.

With people waiting on a final decision, a council spokesman was unable to confirm if the festival would take place over two days for the first time.

He said the council’s marketing section had been advised that the festival programme was in the “development stage” and that further details would be issued as soon as they were available.

At the start of the year, politicians rejected a proposal to increase the budget for the Festival of Flight and those of a number of other high profile tourism events, agreeing instead to allocate additional funds to community-led festivals across the district.

As a result, council officials said they would have to review plans for all major tourism events, but suggested they remained keen on the Festival of Flight being extended into a second day for the first time, although they admitted this would not be easy.

Cllr Willie Clarke, who was keen to see the festival extended over two days, said the council needed to clarify its position.

He said people from outside the district planning to stay in Newcastle and business owners needed to know if it was to be a one-day or two-day event.

“A decision is needed as soon as possible,” he said. “People need to know what is happening, as do local hotels and bed and breakfast providers,. We are now into May and August is not that far away.”

“If the festival is held over two days, council officials need to know what will happen on day two. An event of this magnitude cannot be put together overnight. That is why we urgently need clarity.”

Cllr Clarke, who opposed the local council’s decision not to give more money to the Festival of Flight, believes officials may be looking to see if they can earmark other monies to run a two-day festival.

“If the budget had been increased, as originally proposed, we would not find ourselves in this situation. Council officials have a duty to end this uncertainty by coming out and telling us if the biggest tourism event in Down District will take place over one or two days. People need to know,” he continued.

“Improving our high profile tourism festivals to attract more local, national and international visitors costs money and I was disappointed the Festival of Flight budget was not increased. We need to maintain the high standard of all our festivals.”

Cllr Clarke added: “We are where we are. The one thing we require right now is a decision on what is happening in August. Will the festival take place over one day or two?

“We must never forget that tourism is the number one economic driver in our district and do all we can to sell what we have to offer.”