Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show: held 12-13 Sept 2026

The biggest event in the South Cambridgeshire calendar is eight days away, and the single most useful thing to know about it is that you may not be able to park.

IWM Duxford’s Battle of Britain Air Show runs on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026 at the airfield at Duxford, CB22 4QR. (IWM, Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show) Entry is by advance ticket only. Nothing is sold at the gate.

Saturday parking has sold out

The museum’s own travel page now carries this line: “All Saturday Parking Sold Out for Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show.” A limited number of standard and blue badge permits were still bookable for Sunday 13 September when we checked on 5 September. (IWM, getting to Duxford air shows)

Two things follow from that.

• Parking is not included in your ticket. It is a separate permit bought at the time of booking, and there is no turn-up-and-pay option. That applies to Blue Badge holders too: an accessible permit must be pre-booked, and bringing the badge alone will not get you in.
• Motorbikes are the exception. They park free in the main visitor centre car park and need no permit.

If you are going on Saturday and have no permit, the free shuttle bus is now your route in.

The free shuttle buses, and where they run from

The shuttle is included with an air show ticket and runs from two places only: Cambridge train station (Station Place, stand 5) and Trumpington Park & Ride. Both run every 30 minutes, from 8.30am to 1.30pm out and 3.30pm to 6.30pm back. Cambridge station is a 30 minute ride, Trumpington 20 minutes. They are operated by Stagecoach and carry a limited number of wheelchairs, approved mobility scooters and unfolded buggies. (IWM, getting to Duxford air shows)

There is no shuttle from Cambridge North, Cambridge Heath or Cambridge South, and none from Whittlesford Parkway, which is the closest station to Duxford. Whittlesford is about a 30 minute walk and the museum specifically warns that the walk crosses the busy A505 and is not recommended with young children or for anyone with a mobility impairment.

The museum also asks drivers not to follow the satnav on the approach, because a special traffic management plan is in place and the signed route will not match what the phone says.

Times for the day

IWM recommends arriving before 11am. It also says plainly to expect queues both arriving and leaving, in the area, in the car parks and walking to and from the showground. (IWM, advice for the day)

What tickets cost, and what has gone

Checked on the museum’s ticketing site on 5 September:

(Ticketek/IWM, Saturday 12 September and Sunday 13 September)

The Gold marquee is gone on both days, and the Members Area is at capacity and no longer bookable. Standard adult tickets were still on sale on both days. The child ticket is genuinely free rather than discounted, so a family of two adults and three children pays £99.00 plus parking.

A programme is £8 if bought with your ticket and £10 on the day while stock lasts. There is no cashpoint on site, and the shop in front of the control tower and the American Air Museum take card only.

What is flying

The show marks 90 years since the first flight of the Spitfire prototype, and IWM says it is bringing together the largest gathering of Spitfires in the UK this year, flying the Duxford Big Wing formation with Hurricanes.

• The Red Arrows, Saturday only. The RAF Aerobatic Team returns from its United States tour for the Saturday.
• Spitfires on the published list include IWM’s own N3200, AR213, X4650 (the one from the film Dunkirk), EP120, JG891, EE602, ML417, PL983, MV293 and PS853.
• Also listed: the B-17, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, an Avro Anson and a Bréguet Br.1050 Alizé, a rare airworthy French carrier aircraft.

IWM says the flying list is still being added to. (IWM, flying list)

On the ground

The ground programme is included in the ticket and runs 10am to 6pm: a traditional steam fair with free rides, a miniature steam train, pedal planes, the new Weston Play Zone, a Scalextric tank setup in Hangar 1 and a COBI trail in the American Air Museum. Live music comes from a 17 piece big band, the D-Day Darlings and the Satin Dollz, with swing dance workshops both days. The vintage hair and make-up stand is the one activity that costs extra, and it is cash only. (IWM, plan your day)

Worth knowing before you pack: no dogs except guide and assistance dogs, and that ban includes the car parks. Also barred are large tents and gazebos, barbecues, step ladders and stools, drones, scooters, balls and balloons. Folding chairs, picnic blankets, windbreaks and picnics are all fine, and there are free water points across the site.

Two more Duxford dates this autumn

• Duxford Flying Finale, Saturday 3 October 2026. The end-of-season show. Normal Duxford travel advice applies to this one: there is no free shuttle bus and no special parking arrangement. (IWM, Duxford Flying Season 2026)
• Duxford Dash, Sunday 25 October 2026. A 10k on the runway, registration from 8am with the 5k and 10k off at 9.30am and the one mile family race at 10.45am. The 5k and the family race have already sold out; 10k entry is from £28.50 and includes museum entry. (Visit South Cambs)

Getting there from the villages

Duxford sits at junction 10 of the M11, on the A505. If you are coming from Sawston, Whittlesford, the Abingtons or Linton you are on roads that carry the show traffic, so check our South Cambs roadworks and travel page before you set off. Our parking in South Cambs page covers the station car parks, including Whittlesford Parkway, if you are travelling by train and walking in.

This page is updated as the flying list and ticket availability change.