Looping, rolling and gliding between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, the Blue Angels will amaze and delight once again with their storied air show, the highlight of Fleet Week, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Thousands of visitors and residents are expected to attend Fleet Week, which began Monday and runs through Oct. 10.
The six F-18 Super Hornets in the Blue Angels air show and their daredevil pilots are the stars of the show, perhaps even more so this year, following the success of “Top Gun: Maverick.”
“We expect this year’s Fleet Week air show, starring the Blue Angels and a host of world-class performers, to be yet another amazing event and inspire a new generation to create a tradition of their very own,” said Jim Breen, chief executive of The Air Show Network, which produces the event.
It’s the only air show in the U.S. with a commercial airliner, the United 777, to perform a fully choreographed act, according to the organizers.
The 777 will doubtless put on a thrilling show, despite its rather conservative honorific. Some of the other aircraft in the air show sport sobriquets as colorful as the call signs in “Top Gun.”
Examples: the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team, the Red Bull Air Force and the Greg Colyer Ace Maker T-33 all will perform in the air show, along with others with less fanciful names but equally impressive moves.
Residents and visitors can watch Fleet Week from sites including Fisherman’s Wharf, the Embarcadero and Marina Green.
To get a taste of what the air show is like, organizers have posted a video on the event website at https://fleetweeksf.org/air-show/.
People may gasp, flinch or even get dizzy watching — and that’s just on a laptop, desktop or phone; the real deal is one of the best shows in San Francisco. Details about the show and other Fleet Week activities are available on the website as well.
Your guide to Fleet Week’s festivities
Anchors aweigh! Fleet Week is upon us, with the annual showcase of military ships and planes to parade around the Bay Area’s seas and skies.
From Monday to Oct. 11, onlookers will flock to Fisherman’s Wharf, Marina Green and other spots along the water to catch a glimpse of air shows and see massive naval ships in person.
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Founded in 1981, San Francisco Fleet Week is a tradition conducted in honor of U.S. military servicemembers, with special emphasis on the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. And with the weeklong festivities also comes the crowds: Fleet Week attracts roughly 1 million onlookers every year, officials said.
In the sky
Held between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, this weekend’s headlining air show will feature the iconic Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team and even a commercial airliner, the United 777.
Most viewers use fold-out chairs and picnic blankets on the Marina Green, Twin Peaks, Pier 39 and Crissy Field to get a view of the air show for free.
For an elevated air show experience, patrons can visit Fleet Week’s website to purchase box seats and exclusive club access for the event, with tickets ranging from $105 to $375.
In the sea
Starting at 11 a.m. Friday, visitors can watch a fleet of visiting ships sailing into the bay in the Parade of Ships. The San Francisco Fire Department’s fire boat will serve as lead escort, shooting water into the air to kick off the event.
For an in-depth look of the life of a sailor, civilians are invited to step aboard the five Navy and Coast Guard ships docked at the Port of San Francisco. The largest ship, the 16,700-ton USS Harpers Ferry, will be docked at Pier 35. Guided ship tours will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Sunday, and 9 a.m. to noon next Monday.
And on land
Away from the waterfront, there’s also plenty of opportunities to participate in the festivities, like tuning into the free concert series hosted throughout various neighborhoods during the week.
There’s also a special presentation of military K-9 services at Duboce Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, to highlight the work of the highly intelligent dogs that help servicemembers conduct search and rescue and bomb detections.
The U.S. Marine Corps 1st Marine Division Band will pay special tribute to fallen soldiers at an “Honor Our Fallen” concert at the Herbst Theatre on Thursday.
More information about Fleet Week events can be found at https://fleetweeksf.org/
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