2016 Chicago Air and Water Show
When and Where Is the Chicago Air and Water Show?
The Chicago Air and Water Show is Saturday, August 20, and Sunday, August 21. The show begins at 10 a.m. each day and will finish around 3 p.m. Admission is free! Announcer Herb Hunter will be calling all the action from North Avenue Beach. He has been giving Chicago Air and Water Show audiences the play-by-play for nearly 30 years.
What Is the Best Way to Get to the Show?
Bike. Ride your own bike or use a bike from Divvy, Chicago's bike-sharing system. Divvy riders will have access to Divvy’s free Valet Service from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Theater on the Lake (Lake Shore Drive and Fullerton Parkway), Lake Shore Drive and North Avenue, and Michigan Avenue and Oak Street, Montrose Harbor, and Shedd Aquarium stations. The Streeter Drive and Grand Avenue (Navy Pier) station will have Valet Service available from 12 noon to 8 p.m. When a station becomes full, a Divvy valet will remove bikes to open up more docks for riders to return bikes. Note: Bicycles must be walked on festival grounds.
Drive. Parking is limited near the festival grounds. For $35, park at Millennium Garages and take the free shuttle between Millennium Park Garage and North Avenue Beach.
Take a Bus/Train. Take a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus or train to the show. Visit the CTA website to learn more about services being offered during the Chicago Air and Water Show.
Where Is the Best Place to View the Show?
North Avenue Beach is the show center, but anywhere along the lakefront from Fullerton Parkway to Oak Street Beach offer good viewing opportunities. Ohio Street Beach also offers a good sight line to the action.
Across North Lake Shore Drive, to the west, Lincoln Park allows tents, grills, and pets. You will find plenty of room to set up for the day and several public restrooms nearby (see the map below).
WBBM Newsradio 780 AM and 105.9 FM will broadcast the show live so everyone can enjoy the play-by-play of the show’s action. WBBM Newsradio will also provide live video online.
Who Are the Headliners and Are There Any New Aircraft This Year?
Retired Chicago Bears cornerback Charles "Peanut" Tillman will open the show on Saturday, August 20, with a tandem jump with the U.S. Army Golden Knights to commemorate the 75th anniversary of United Service Organizations (USO).
Headliners include the US. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, and U.S. Navy Parachute Team Leap Frogs.
New to the show this year is the F-35 Heritage Flight. The F-35 Heritage Flight Team is traveling to air shows around the United States and abroad, flying modern aircraft alongside World War II, Korean, and Vietnam-era aircraft. The F-35 is the U.S. Air Force's latest fighter and features advanced electronic sensors, a helmet-mounted display system, and state-of-the-art tactical data links. Learn more at the F-35 Heritage Flight Team website.
For a complete list of all performers, both civilian and military, please visit the Chicago Air and Water Show's Performers page.
What Items Are Allowed at the Chicago Air and Water Show?
This handy checklist shows items you can bring to the show and also some additional recommended items to make your visit more enjoyable.
Vendors will be selling food and nonalcoholic beverages.
What Items Are Not Allowed at the Chicago Air and Water Show?
What Else Is There to Do at the Chicago Air and Water Show?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will be at this year's Chicago Air and Water Show! NASA will have a variety of fun and educational activities for visitors. There will be a scavenger hunt (with prizes!), demonstrations, displays, selfies with an astronaut, and exhibits. Journey to Tomorrow is an interactive exhibit with learning stations and engaging activities. Find out what it is like to live and work in space, learn about current NASA missions, and view photographs of NASA's Glenn Research Center's early years. Astronaut Tim Kopra, who returned from the International Space Station in June 2016, will be greeting visitors at Driven to Explore. Visit this multimedia exhibit and discover the challenges of human space exploration, learn how NASA provides critical technological advances to improve life on Earth, and touch a 3 billion-year-old moon rock brought back aboard Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon in 1972.
For more information about this year's show, please visit the City of Chicago’s Chicago Air and Water Show website.