Florida Air Show Calendar 2024

The fantastic weather means that Florida hosts many air shows, fly-ins, and hot-air balloon festivals, many of which are free to attend, especially the beach air shows. The air show season in Florida typically runs from mid-January to November, with most shows in either the spring or the autumn (fall).

A complete schedule of upcoming air shows and hot air balloon festivals in Florida for 2024 can be found below.

You will also find details of vintage air tours often visiting Florida, the air museums hosting air shows, and the aerobatic display teams performing in Florida.

Complete List of Florida Air Shows in 2024

Click links (opens on a new page) for more details on specific Florida air event ticket prices, schedules, and appearances.

Key: TBC – To be confirmed.

Largest Airshow in Florida

The largest airshow in Florida is the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace convention, the second largest in the world. The six-day event has a full schedule of planes and flyovers. In 2024, there were between 14 and 30 shows in one day, including fireworks, flyovers, pyrotechnics, parachute jumps, flight demos, and so much more. They also have nighttime shows on Wednesday and Saturday. Make sure you secure your tickets for 2025 to catch one of the best shows around.

Vintage Air Tours in Florida

Several vintage and warbird aircraft tours often visit Florida in the spring. Over the course of a couple of months, they visit a number of regional airports throughout the state.

This is an opportunity to see authentic vintage and World War II aircraft in flight rather than just as static museum exhibits. You can often get a ride in one of them for a fee.

• Wings of Freedom Tour by the Collings Foundation
• Commemorative Air Force (CAF) AirPower History Tour
• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Aluminium Overcast Tour
• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Ford-Tri-Motor Tour

Air Shows at Florida Air Museums

A couple of Florida’s air museums host annual shows each spring. These include Valiant Air Command at Titusville (Space Coast Warbird Airshow, formerly TICO Warbird Airshow) and the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland (Sun’ n Fun Fly-In and Convention).

The nearby Fantasy of Flight museum at Polk City used to offer daily (Thursday through Sunday) aerial demonstrations, subject to the weather. Still, they shut the main museum to the general public on April 6, 2014, and are currently operating a seasonal interim museum with joy rides in vintage biplanes on the days the museum is open. There are plans to re-open as a much larger and more aviation-themed attraction in the future.

Air Demonstration Teams visiting Florida in 2024

Two of America’s top military aerobatic display teams, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds flying Lockheed (General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcons and the United States Navy Blue Angels flying Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F/A-18E/F Super Hornets regularly perform at some of Florida’s Air Shows.

While the Thunderbirds are based at Nellis AFB in Nevada, the Blue Angels are based in Florida at NAS Pensacola in Florida’s Panhandle.

When airshows run over several days, teams like the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels do not necessarily perform every day. It is always best to check with the airshow organizers.

They also tend to alternate, so if the Thunderbirds appear at an airshow one year, they will not appear at the same airshow the following year, but possibly the Blue Angels will appear instead and vice-versa.

The exception is that the Blue Angels always appear at their current home base in Pensacola and Jacksonville, the Blue Angels’ birthplace.

United States Navy Blue Angels

The Blue Angels have now transitioned to the larger F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, supported by a “new” C-130J Super Hercules.

In May 2019, the original Lockheed C-130T Hercules, affectionately known as ‘Fat Albert,’ was retired as it had reached the end of its service life and was replaced by an ex-Royal Air Force C-130J Super Hercules.

In 2024, they are due to appear at the following Florida air shows:

• Cocoa Beach Air Show — April 20–21
• Vero Beach Air Show — May 3–5
• Pensacola Beach Air Show — July 13
• NAS Jacksonville Airshow — October 19–20
• Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show in Pensacola — November 1-2

When the Blue Angels are at home,’ they often perform practice sessions open to the public, typically between March and October. There is even a chance to grab an autograph.

Their full display schedule and practice sessions calendar are on their website.

United States Air Force Thunderbirds

The Thunderbirds are due to appear at the following Florida air shows in 2024:

• Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland — April 9–14
• Gulf Coast Salute — May 4–5
• Fort Lauderdale Air Show — May 11–12

They also have a tradition of doing a fly-past at the Daytona International Speedway for the annual Daytona 500 in February and often fly over Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

United States Parachute Teams

As well as aerial demonstration teams, there are also several military parachute teams, including the United States Army Golden Knights, United States Navy Leap Frogs, and United States Special Operation Command (SOCOM) Para-Commandos.

Other International Teams

The Canadian Snowbirds Demonstration Team flies the Canadair Tutor CT-114 and sometimes ventures south. In 2012, they appeared at the Wings and Waves at Daytona Beach, in 2016 at Fort Lauderdale, and in 2017, they returned to Fort Lauderdale. They are making a welcome return to Florida in 2022 at the Space Coast International Air Show in Titusville.

In 2017, the French national display team, The Patrouille de France, flying 8 Alpha Jet trainers, made a rare USA appearance and displayed at the Melbourne Air & Space Show and Sun’n Fun Fly-In in April.

In 2019, the British Red Arrows display team took part in a North American tour but did not display in Florida.

The British Army Red Devils Parachute Regiment appeared in Florida in 2022.

Single Ship and Legacy Demo Teams

In addition to the Air Demonstration formation teams, several U.S. military service demo teams are drawn from the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, CorU.S., and Coast Guard.

U.S. Air Force Air CombaU.S.mmand single-sU.S.demonstration teams operate in the USA and regularly attend the various Florida airshows. These include:

• A-10 “Thunderbolt II” Demo Team — The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as the “Warthog,” was explicitly designed as a close air support aircraft and is built around a 7-barrel Gatling type 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon firing 3,900 rounds per minute.
• F-16 “Viper” Demo Team — the Lockheed F-16CM Fighting Falcon “Viper” is a single-seat,multirolee fighter that can exceed speeds of Mach 2.
• F-22 “Raptor” Demonstration Flight Team — the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor is a twin engined fifth generation stealth fighter equipped with thrust vectoring offering amazing maneuverability and speeds over Mach 2 and can fly at Mach 1.5 without resorting to afterburners
• F-35A “Lightning II” Demo Team — Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II is a single-engine multirole, all-weather air-to-air and surface attack stealth fighter

The single-ship demo teams often team up with warbirds from the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight (H.F.) who opU.S.e vintage aircraft from World War II, Korea, and the Vietnam era like:

• North American P-51 Mustang
• North American F-86 Sabre
• Lockheed P-38 Lightning
• Curtis P-40 Warhawk
• Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
• Douglas A-1 Skyraider

The U.S. Air Force also operates a heavy-lift U.S.ng C-17 Globemaster III demo team and fighter aircraft.

The U.S. Navy also operates a Legacy Flight, which flies twin ship formations combining frontline fighters with warbirds from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Frontline aircraft include:

• Beechcraft T-6 Texan II
• Boeing EA-18G Growler
• Boeing F/A-18G Super Hornet
• Lockheed Martin F-35C Legacy II
• McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C/D Hornet
• McDonnell Douglas TA-45 Goshawk

Warbird aircraft include:

• Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
• Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
• Douglas AD-4 Skyraider
• Douglas A-4B Skyhawk
• Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk
• Goodyear FG-1D Corsair
• North American SNJ Texan
• North American T-2 Buckeye
• North American T-28 Trojan

The U.S. Marine Corps flies the following aircraft as part of its demo teams:

• McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II
• Lockheed F-35B Lightning II
• Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey

Florida Air Show Team Appearances in 2023 & 2024

For 2023, air show performers include:

• Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In and Convention — Blue Angels, F-35A Lightning II, USMC F-35B Lightning II
• Wings Over Homestead ARB — Thunderbirds, F-22 Raptor
• NAS Key West Southernmost Air Spectacular — Blue Angels, F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet
• Cocoa Beach Air Show – Thunderbirds , A-10 Thunderbolt II, C-17 Globemaster III, Combat Search & Rescue, USN E/A-18G Growler
• Fort Lauderdale Air Show — Blue Angels, F-22 Raptor, USN F-35C Lightning II
• Hyundai Air & Sea Show — F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet
• Pensacola Beach Air Show — Blue Angels
• Jacksonville Sea and Sky Airshow 2023 — Blue Angels
• Orlando Air and Space Show — Thunderbirds, F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, C-17 Globemaster III
• Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show — Blue Angels, F-16 Viper, USN F-35C Lightning II
• Florida International Air Show — Thunderbirds
• Stuart Air Show — F-22 Raptor, C-17 Globemaster III, USN E/A-18G Growler

For 2024, air show performers include:

• Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In and Convention — Thunderbirds
• Cocoa Beach Air Show — Blue Angels
• Vero Beach Air Show — Blue Angels
• Gulf Coast Salute — Thunderbirds
• Fort Lauderdale Air Show — Thunderbirds
• Pensacola Beach Air Show — Blue Angels
• NAS Jacksonville Airshow — Blue Angels
• Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show — Blue Angels

Along with aerobatic and demo teams, many airshows have ground-based displays, including modern and vintage aircraft and warbirds.

Florida Air Show Ticket Prices

Some airshows offer free admission and free parking, typically some of those on military bases like the Tampa Bay AirFest at MacDill AFB and some beach airshows like the Pensacola Beach Air Show.

Others charge an admission fee that may or may not include parking, though you can often get a discount if you purchase online in advance, especially with “early bird” discounts. Just follow the individual links in the list of events above to check ticket prices.

Remember that sitting or standing outside in the Florida sunshine for hours can be overwhelming, but many shows offer VIP areas where you can relax in the shade. Don’t forget to make sure you are properly hydrated.

Avid photographers can often pay to access particular flight line areas, sometimes with bleacher-style raised seating.

Shows like Sun ‘n Fun even offer camping for R.V.s or tents and aircraft camping for visiting aircraft.

This information is correct to our knowledge, but you should always check with the show organizers before making a trip, as events sometimes get canceled or rescheduled.

If you have any corrections or additions to the list of Florida air events and hot air balloon festivals noted above, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The History of Florida Air Shows

Florida has a tradition of hosting air events that showcase aviation achievements and feature breathtaking aerial performances.

Two key events helped establish the popularity of these Florida events today. They include (and, of course, are not just limited to these two events):

In 1918, the roots of air events in Florida can be traced back to when JN4 Jenny biplanes and Curtiss Hydroaeroplanes flew over Jacksonville to celebrate the end of World War I.

In 1982, the Florida International Show started, and it quickly became a seminal event each spring. This was then joined by an increasing host of other events, eventually leading to a calendar of events listed yearly. These events became increasingly popular due to the quality of events Florida hosted.