I haven't been to this air show but we were in Herne Bay a few years back and it was a perfectly pleasant seaside town to spend a few days. Plenty of places to eat and drink on the prom.

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/a...hore-herne-bay

We went to the Southport airshow a couple of years ago (two Lancasters that year) and there they fence off quite a large area of the sea front and charge to enter. As Herne Bay is a free event I guess it is open apart from the small VIP area which you pay to get in.

These events tend to be very very busy so definitely not a good idea to try and drive in on the day. At Southport people were still trying to park when the show had almost ended. As you are on the train you should be OK. It looks to be only a 10 minute walk or so from the station to the pier. Give yourself enough time just in case the train is delayed; better to get there early and chill out on the sea front for a while rather than miss the show.

Looks like a really good event with a fine line-up of aircraft. Just hope for good weather. They tend to be a bit cautious about taking the Lancaster out if the weather is too bad.

Look out for 2nd World War forts out in the Thames estuary; interesting bit of heritage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maunsell_Forts