1940s Weekend 2026: Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft to fly over wartime event at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
A flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will headline this year’s 1940s Weekend at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.
The aircraft are scheduled to fly over on both Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, 2026, adding a striking visual moment to the weekend’s programme.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight serves as a living memorial to the aircrews of the Second World War, maintaining and flying a fleet of historic aircraft that continues to appear at major commemorative events and air displays across the UK.
The 1940s Weekend will be taking place at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and final details of the flypast, including aircraft type, timing and exact flight path, are yet to be confirmed.
The event will recreate the sights and sounds of wartime Britain when its 1940s Weekend returns from Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 17, 2026.
In its second year, the event will see the five-mile heritage line transformed into a living history experience, with each station hosting themed entertainment, reenactors, vintage displays and live music.
Steam trains will operate throughout the weekend, carrying passengers between Keighley and Oxenhope as the Worth Valley adopts the atmosphere of the 1940s.
The weekend will start on Friday evening with a 1940s Dance at Oxenhope Exhibition Shed. Guests will be entertained by Kitty La Mare and The Ashby Little Big Band, performing classic wartime favourites alongside live vocals.
The evening includes a light supper, with doors opening at 6pm and dancing continuing until 10.30pm and tickets cost £20 per person.
From 11am on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, the focus will change to a full line-up programme of activities. Oxenhope’s Exhibition Shed will host live performances throughout the day alongside a vintage market and bar.
Haworth will feature reenactors and a traditional tea dance in the courtyard marquee. At Oakworth, visitors can explore living history displays recreating aspects of wartime life.
Ingrow and Keighley stations will also host period entertainment and refreshments, creating a consistent theme across the railway.
Passengers travelling on the trains can expect to come across reenactors sharing wartime stories during their journey, with an onboard bar operating across the weekend.
Confirmed performers and participants include Lady Lindy, Anthony Mason’s George Formby tribute, Blondies in Harmony, the Gas Light Trio, Haworth Home Guard, Police and ARP reenactors, Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris and Lady Ann, a fairground organ and the Hebden Bridge Ukulele Group.
Visitors are encouraged to dress in 1940s-inspired clothing but this is not essential.
The 1940s Weekend offers a varied programme combining heritage rail travel, live entertainment and historical interpretation, providing a family-friendly event that commemorates and celebrates the social history of wartime Britain.