The Red Arrows in flight

Look to the skies today as Folkestone reaches fresh heights at its Jubilee Airshow at the launch of the month-long town festival.

The Shepway event is the only airshow in Kent this year and promises to be an exciting highlight of June’s celebrations.

The seafront and Leas promenade will be at the heart of the action from 10am on the day with a huge array of air-display teams, kicking off with the Red Arrows around 12.45pm.

There will be an impressive line-up of including the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Breitling Wing Walking Duo.

The Jubilee Airshow is the first in Shepway since 2003 and is being organised by Folkestone Town Centre Management.

Organisers are expecting tens of thousands of visitors, and like the extended Folkestone Festival, are planning it to lift the spirits and give something memorable to the community in a special year, whilst also flying the flag for the town.

The airshow day will include numerous family attractions on The Leas including bands, displays, school activities, and a Top Gear simulator with plenty more on the seafront.

The Breitling wingwalking team

On Sunday there will be a funfair, donkey rides, Punch and Judy, a live showing of the Jubilee pageant showing thousands of watercraft on the Thames on a giant screen put up by The Film Factory.

Union Jacks and flags of all the Olympic countries will be flying too.

Town centre manager John Barber said: “It should be a wonderful day. Most of the aircraft will be coming in from Manston airport who are one of our sponsors.

“It costs an enormous amount of money to put on an airshow but we wanted to raise the spirits of people, it should be a fantastic, fabulous event.

“Folkestone used to be known as a festival town with wonderful big events and we want to bring all that back.”

Mr Barber said he hoped they would be able to make it a regular event. It was hoped visitors will use public transport as much as possible. An extra 10,000 parking spaces have been laid on, largely using schools, to accommodate drivers, but also Saga and the old Eurotunnel exhibition centre.

There will be a free shuttle bus for motorists from the centre and Folkestone Academy.

The festival, which has a packed programme, will include the Multi-Cultural Weekend from June 8-10, a vintage bus rally, food markets, chilli festival, music events, an open air reggae performance and a classical proms concert on the Leas promenade on June 30.

For more information see www.folkestoneairshow.com and www.discoverfolkestone.co.ukor call 01304 850522