Chicago Air and Water Show

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City of Chicago and Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) proudly present the 2024 Chicago Air & Water Show, August 10 and 11 along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach serving as show center from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Established in 1959, the Chicago Air & Water Show is the largest free admission event of its kind. Headliners of the 2024 show include the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights.

New this year are stunt pilot RJ Gritter aboard his acrobatic Decathalon 150 CS and the Trojan Phlyers who will show off their historical North American
Aviation Company T-28B aircraft.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels return to the Chicago Air & Water Show, which takes place during Chicago Navy Week this year, flying their iconic F/A-18E Super Hornets. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are the oldest flight demonstration squadron in the U.S., having first flown in 1946. Also returning this year are the men and women of the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, who will jump out of an aircraft 12,000 feet above the earth’s surface to a perfect
target landing on North Avenue Beach. Show announcer Herb Hunter,
the “Voice of the Air and Water Show” for more than 35 years also returns this
year to narrate and guide the spectators through each performer’s aerial
choreography.

For information on more events like this, check out our roundup of Summer Festivals.