Pacific Airshow Explained

Pacific Air Show
Status:Active
Date:Huntington Beach - Starts last Friday of September or first Friday of October
Gold Coast - Mid August
Begins:10:30 a.m.
Ends:4:30 p.m.
Frequency:Annual
Venue:Huntington Beach, California
Gold Coast, Australia
Coordinates:33.6511°N -117.9958°W
Country:United States, Australia
First:2016 - Huntington Beach
2023 - Gold Coast
Prev:Gold Coast:
August 16-18, 2024
Huntington Beach:
September 29October 1, 2023
Next:Gold Coast:
2025
Huntington Beach:
October 4-6, 2024
Attendance:740,000[1]
Activity:Military and civilian aerobatic displays

The Pacific Airshow is an annual airshow held in Huntington Beach, California, and Gold Coast, Queensland. Spanning over three days, the Airshow features the best in military and civilian flight demonstrations from international teams, including past performances by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Royal Air Force Red Arrows, Canadian Forces Snowbirds and the Royal Australian Air Force Roulettes. The first Pacific Airshow (first called the Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow, then later The Great Pacific Airshow) took place in 2016, attracting hundreds of thousands to Huntington Beach for a display of aviation skill and military might soaring over the beach in Southern California.[2] In only five years, Pacific Airshow has twice been named Civilian Airshow of the Year by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and in 2019 named among the Top 5 Air Shows by USA Today’s 10Best. It has also been recognized as the Civilian Air Show Site of the Year by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds in 2022.[3] The event has become a popular fall event for residents and visitors from as far away as Europe and Asia while delivering a more than $105 million economic impact to the City of Huntington Beach.[4]

The 2020 air show was canceled due to public health concerns associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. The third and final day of the 2021 event was canceled in response to an oil spill.[5]

Notes and References

  1. News: Pacific Airshow roars back to Huntington Beach this weekend . September 28, 2021 . Orange County Register.
  2. News: Connelly. Laylan . 2023-05-11 . Huntington Beach settles lawsuit with Pacific Airshow over day canceled because of oil spill . . 2023-05-13 . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2023-08-10 . Pacific Airshow Gold Coast . Pacific Airshow Gold Coast . en-AU . 2023-08-19.
  4. Web site: Jet Ready Southern California! Pacific Airshow is Back, and Premium Tickets are Here . Pacific Airshow.
  5. Web site: HUNTINGTON BEACH OFFICIALS CANCEL OCT. 3 PACIFIC AIRSHOW CITING OIL SPILL . Pacific Airshow . October 3, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211004042237/https://www.pacificairshow.com/news/2021-sunday-cancellation . October 4, 2021.