From Daedalus to Thruxton: Victory Festival evolves into the Hampshire Air Festival
After five editions at HMS Daedalus (Solent Airport, Lee-on-the-Solent), the team behind the Victory Festival & Air Display is setting a new course. In 2026, they will debut the Hampshire Air Festival at Thruxton Aerodrome on 12–13 September, describing it as an event “in the air, on the ground, and in the hearts of thousands.”
The change mirrors a wider trend in the UK airshow circuit. At Headcorn, organisers recently confirmed that their long-running Battle of Britain Airshow will rebrand as the Headcorn International Airshow in June 2026, retaining warbird heritage but widening the bill to include civilian aerobatics and a bigger ground show. The Hampshire move follows a similar logic: respect for tradition, but with the infrastructure and space to deliver more.
Two Boeing Stearman Biplanes of the AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers
Victory Festival: heritage at Daedalus
The Victory Festival has always been rooted in history. It was staged on the wartime airfield of HMS Daedalus, today Solent Airport, and included a parade through the village of Lee-on-the-Solent. Over five years the event grew into a late-summer fixture, combining remembrance ceremonies, community activities, live music, vintage vehicles and an air display featuring warbirds and heritage aircraft.
The choice of Daedalus was deliberate. Commissioned in 1939 as the Fleet Air Arm’s main South Coast base, HMS Daedalus was one of the busiest airfields on D-Day and hosted both Royal Navy and RAF squadrons, as well as a US Navy Spitfire unit (VCS-7). That heritage made it a natural home for a festival commemorating VE and VJ Day anniversaries.
But the location also posed problems. Narrow local roads, community complaints about closures and traffic management, and the limits of the airfield’s space created friction. Organisers have stated openly that Daedalus no longer offers the capacity for the scale of show they intend. While others could step in to run an event at Lee, they made clear it will not be by the present team and their partners.
Why Thruxton
Thruxton Aerodrome (EGHO), west of Andover, offers a fresh canvas. The site includes a 969-metre asphalt runway and a 757-metre grass strip, and operates alongside the well-known Thruxton Circuit, giving it established infrastructure for parking, access and crowd handling.
The aerodrome has strong historical credentials of its own. Opened in 1942 as RAF Thruxton (USAAF Station AAF-407), it was the departure point for the paratroopers of Operation Biting (the Bruneval Raid) and later hosted the 366th Fighter Group flying P-47 Thunderbolts. Post-war, the site evolved into today’s dual-use circuit and airfield, but its wartime DNA remains intact.
For organisers, that blend of history, space and infrastructure makes Thruxton the logical next step: a venue where they can expand flying content, build a more ambitious ground festival, and scale without the traffic bottlenecks that constrained Lee-on-the-Solent.
What to expect in 2026
The Hampshire Air Festival is confirmed for 12–13 September 2026. While flying participants have not yet been announced, the intent is clear: build on the heritage core of the Victory Festival while widening the scope with civilian aerobatics, classic types beyond WWII, and a fuller ground show.
The 2025 Victory Festival at Daedalus, held over 19–21 September, effectively closed the Lee-based chapter for the current team. From 2026, Hampshire will have a new airshow brand, one that aims to combine remembrance with scale, and community with spectacle.
As with Headcorn’s reinvention, the story here is not of abandoning heritage, but of ensuring it can thrive in a modern format. For enthusiasts, the question now is which aircraft will headline Thruxton’s skies in September 2026—and how the organisers will blend the DNA of Victory Festival into a show that can endure for years to come.
