Pacific Airshow returns Oct. 2-4 for 10th anniversary over the beach
Thunderbirds, Snowbirds and the F-22 Raptor demo team headline three days of flying at what organizers call the nation's biggest airshow.
The Pacific Airshow returns to Huntington Beach on Oct. 2 through 4, 2026, for three days of military demonstrations, aerobatics and beachside entertainment. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the annual event has grown from its 2016 launch into what organizers describe as the largest airshow in the United States by attendance.
Leading the 2026 lineup are the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, joined by the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team, the fifth-generation fighter showcase led by Capt. Nicholas "Laz" Le Tourneau. The two precision jet teams bring very different styles of formation flying to the same stretch of sky over the Pacific.
Modern military aviation will have a heavy presence all weekend. Scheduled performers include the U.S. Air Force F-35A demonstration, the U.S. Navy F-35C demonstration, the U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler airshow team and the U.S. Navy F/A-18 West Coast Rhino demonstration team. A U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight featuring a P-38 Lightning will connect modern military aviation with an earlier generation of warbirds, while the NORAD Interdiction demonstration adds another military flyover to the schedule.
Larger aircraft are on the program as well, including a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, a U.S. Air Force KC-135, a U.S. Air Force C-17 and a Royal Air Force C-17, plus a scheduled NASA flyover. The Royal Air Force Falcons Parachute Team takes the action out of the cockpit, and civilian performers round out the schedule with aerobatic pilots, warbirds and specialty acts, including a first-ever temporary STOL landing area built on the beach. The Goodyear Blimp and Red Bull Air Force, with its aerobatic helicopter and skydivers, complete the airborne lineup.
Beyond the flying, visitors can explore Aviation Alley, the NXTGN STEM lab, a Kids Zone, performer meet-and-greets and food and drinks along the beach. For Southern California boaters, the coastal setting makes the Pacific Airshow one of the region's unusual major events that draws spectators both to the sand and offshore.
One of the event's more popular vantage points is from the water. Newport Beach departure cruises, including sailings organized through Davey's Locker, run all three days with tickets starting at $75, offering indoor and outdoor seating, shade, food and drinks and an unobstructed view of the performances over the coastline.
Residents and motorists should expect heavy crowds around the beach and Pacific Coast Highway through the weekend. The event closes out one of the busiest falls on record for the Huntington Beach oceanfront, coming two weeks after a record-setting Surf City 10.
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