Huntington Beach The Great Pacific Airshow

October 2-4, 2026, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Free to see | optional reserved seating & upgrades $45-3900, pacificairshow.com

Huntington City Beach & Huntington State Beach
Pacific Coast Highway at Beach Blvd.
Huntington Beach, CA

The annual FREE air show in Huntington Beach (surrounded by many airports but none on site) includes entertainment in the air, in the sea and on the beach. When you look at the Pacific Airshow, you aren't just watching a performance—you are watching a masterclass in logistics. The jets are commuting from a military base down the road, and the commercial airlines are executing a massive, invisible detour around the coast, all orchestrated by air traffic controllers keeping two entirely different worlds moving at the same time.

Everything works on military-style precision. The air show doesn't just happen all day in a chaotic free-for-all; it operates in strict, heavily choreographed "windows." Weeks before the show, the FAA and local air traffic controllers carve out a temporary "bubble" over the ocean and beach—officially called a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR).

And then, the crown jewel arrives: the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Six red, white, and blue F-16s rocket down from the clouds, transforming the coastal sky into a high-speed stage. They fly with a terrifying, breathtaking closeness—locked together like a single machine one moment, and splitting apart into heart-stopping, head-on crosses the next. Watching them pull off impossible acrobatics right over the waves, knowing they just rocketed in from their hidden pit-stop at Los Alamitos, turns a simple afternoon at the beach into pure, thunderous magic.

2026 Pacific Air Show is a living, breathing history museum of tactical aviation

• USAF (United States Air Force) Thunderbirds
• USAF F-35A Demo- this 5th-generation stealth fighter is the most advanced, expensive, and capable multi-role combat aircraft in the world packed with futuristic computer systems, radar-evading stealth shapes, and a massive single engine that produces 43,000 pounds of thrust.  It can sneak up on you with a quiet, whistling roar, and then suddenly unleash its full, thunderous afterburner to rocket straight up into the clouds.
• USAF Heritage Flight P-38 - a legendary, twin-engine fighter with a very distinct twin-boom design used heavily in WWII.
• US Navy F-35C Demo - built for the brutal life of an aircraft carrier, C model has massive wings with folding tips, reinforced landing gear to handle slamming down onto a floating steel deck at high speeds, and a tailhook. Watching it perform gives a nod to naval aviation right off the Southern California coast.
• US Navy EA-18G Growler Airshow Team -  Loud, heavy & aggressive, it demonstrates invisible digital warfare wrapped in a roaring twin-engine airframe.
• US Navy F/A-18 West Coast Rhino Demo Team - Twin engines screaming at full military throttle—you feel it vibrate right through the sand in this  heavy, powerful muscle car of the sky.
• NORAD Interdiction Demo -  acts out a real-world national security scenario right in front of the crowd
• The Canadian Forces Snowbirds (CA) -  Snowbirds fly remarkably close together, often with wings overlapping in tight unison in pure aerial ballet—smooth, fluid, highly synchronized maneuvers.
• Royal Air Force Falcons Parachute Team
• Greg Colyer - Ace Maker T-33
• Jeff Boerboon - Extra 330SC
• Emma McDonald - Extra 300L
• Mike Goulian - Extra 330SC
• Bob Carlton - FoxJet Sailplane
• Torrey Ward - SubSonex Microjet
• Jason Somes - MiG-17
• NASA Flyover
• Luke Czepiela - STOL Carbon Cub
• Goodyear Blimp
• US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey
• US Air Force KC-135
• US Air Force C-17
• Royal Air Force C-17
• B-25 Lyon Air Museum
• Aaron Fitzgerald - Red Bull BO-105
• Red Bull Skydivers
• TBM Avenger | Greg Colyer

Weather & preparing for the day: Most years there tends to be a little cloud cover which breaks open in the afternoon to beautiful, blue skies, perfect for watching and taking pictures. Temperatures in early October when the event is held often are in the mid-70s though they range from 60s to even 90 degrees on a really hot day. Bring sunshade items if you're not used to being at the beach where reflections off the ocean cause quick tanning (and sunburns).

Events are not guaranteed. It is your responsibility to confirm before going.