Fort Lauderdale Air Show: Schedule for Blue Angels and more

See below for info on tickets, traffic and how to send us your photos

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are back and will be soaring over the beach Saturday and Sunday as part of the Fort Lauderdale Air Show.

The Blue Angels’ performance will be one of their first in the F-18 Super Hornet aircraft, which they have transitioned to from the legacy Hornet, an aircraft they have flown for three decades.

Last year’s air show was postponed to November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but organizers expect larger crowds this weekend now that people are vaccinated and more comfortable being out.

Schedule

Opening ceremonies will begin at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Flight performances begin at 11:30 a.m., with the Blue Angels scheduled to take the air from 2:15 p.m. to 3 p.m. both days.

The full sequence of flight, according to organizers, is as follows:

  • Opening Ceremonies
  • Invocation
  • National Anthem
  • SOCOM Para-Commandos
  • U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Demo
  • F-16 Viper Demo
  • Air Force Heritage Flight (F-16 & P-51)
  • C-17 Globemaster III Demo
  • GEICO Skytypers
  • Red Bull Air Force
  • Red Bull Helicopter
  • Kirby Chambliss
  • Mike Wiskus in the Lucas Oil Pitts
  • U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Send us your photos and videos!

We want to see the best shots you take while watching the show. Click here to upload a photo or video clip to our Florida Pins page.

It will be posted online for others to see, and we could even use it on a Local 10 newscast.

Location and tickets

The center of the show is at Birch State Park, but the two-mile “aerobic box” where the best action takes place extends along the beach from NE 19th Court to Las Olas Boulevard.

You can watch the show from many vantage points across Fort Lauderdale for free, without a ticket, but reserved spots on Fort Lauderdale beach are for sale. Tickets are being sold online only. Click here for more information.

Gates open for entry at the ticketed locations at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

COVID-19 precautions

Organizers say it is “recommended” that guests wear face masks when less than six feet away from others.

They also say the reserved seating areas will have a reduced capacity.

For more info on safety measures, click here.

Traffic advisory

According to Fort Lauderdale police, northbound and southbound State Road A1A will be closed for thru traffic from the intersection of East Sunrise Boulevard to Northeast 16th Street on Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Residents and visitors attempting to enter this area will need to produce proof of residency or an event pass upon arriving to the checkpoint at Northeast 20th Street and North State Road A1A. The only access into this area will be from the north via East Oakland Park Boulevard.

An additional road closure will be at East Las Olas Boulevard between Seabreeze Boulevard and North State Road A1A. Vehicular traffic will be restricted from traveling east and west in this sector of Las Olas Boulevard, police say.

Other intermittent closures will be in effect Friday and Monday for event setup and breakdown.

Marine advisory

A no-anchoring and safety zone will be set up off the Fort Lauderdale Beach area, marked with buoys.

Police say the safety zone coordinates are as follows:

SZ Center (BOAT): 26°08′17.59″ N x 80° 05′ 16.62″ W

SZ Outside Center FAA: 26°09′19.87″ N x 80° 05′ 09.92″ W

SZ Southeast Corner FAA: 26° 05′ 42.11″ N x 80° 05′ 35.92″ W

SZ South Center FAA: 26° 07′ 01.56″ N x 80° 05′ 25.30″ W

SZ Northeast Corner SB: 26° 11′ 01.21″ N x 80° 05′ 00.34″ W

More info on watching the show from a boat can be found by clicking here.

Another way around

If you don’t want to worry about traffic or parking, the Water Taxi is offering discounted pricing for Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $19, with children under 5 able to ride free. For more info, click here.

MSD principal’s flight

Michelle Kefford, who has been principal at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland since 2019, had a chance to take a test run in one of the Blue Angels planes Wednesday.

“Pass out or not, puke or not, I’m all in!” she said before the flight. “I’m super honored. It’s a very humbling experience.”

Kefford later called the ride and view “incredible.”

To see more about her flight, click here.

What’s in store this weekend? The Blue Angels give a preview in the video below:

Local 10 reporters Alex Finnie and Layron Livingston contributed to this article.