One weekend in August, the Chicago lakefront hosts the largest and oldest free-admission air and water exhibition in the United States. This past weekend (Aug. 15 – Aug. 16), Chicago’s lakefront saw over one million visitors for the annual showcase and bone-rattling displays.
Although this display is best seen on Chicago’s lakefront, you can see and hear the display from around the city which makes this a one-of-a-kind display. Whether you are at show-center at North Avenue Beach, in the Loop, at Wrigley Field, on a boat in Lake Michigan, or on one of the countless rooftops across the city, you can see and hear the displays from all across the city.
This year’s show was headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team. Other performances included military demonstrations from the U.S. Air Force, Illinois Air National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Marine Corps; hometown displays from the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Fire Department; and well-known civilian performers including the Folds of Honor Biplane and members of the Red Bull Air Race Team.
Chicago’s Air and Water show was first held on the lakefront in 1959 and featured a Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue demonstration, water skiers, water ballet, and a diving competition. In 1960, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds made their first appearance, and a new summer tradition was born. Since 1960, every Chicago Air and Water show has featured the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds or the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, two of America’s most recognizable aerial demonstration teams.
You can read more about this year’s Chicago Air and Water show here. And make sure you mark your calendars for the 2027 Chicago Air and Water show taking place taking place Aug. 14 – Aug. 15.
