LA Fleet Week is organized by a third party (Port of Los Angeles & Battleship IOWA). NavyWeek.org is an independent guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the event, its organizers, or the U.S. Navy. Dates, schedules, and ticketing are set by the organizer and can change — always confirm current details on the official site before you travel.
LA Fleet Week 2026
A recap of LA Fleet Week 2026 at the Battleship IOWA in San Pedro — the dates, free ship tours, the Port of Los Angeles waterfront expo, and how to plan for the next Memorial Day weekend.
LA Fleet Week is Southern California’s Memorial Day kickoff to summer — a free, family-friendly celebration of the sea services on the Port of Los Angeles waterfront in San Pedro, anchored by the museum battleship USS Iowa. The 2026 edition, the event’s tenth year, ran Friday through Monday, May 22–25, and paid special tribute to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Because that weekend has now passed, this guide is a recap of what happened and a head start on planning for the next edition.
Unlike the air-show fleet weeks in San Francisco and Seattle, LA Fleet Week is built around free public ship tours, a waterfront expo, live music, and a Memorial Day ceremony rather than a flight demonstration — there is no Blue Angels air show. This guide covers the 2026 dates and ships, how the free ship tours and virtual queue work, where to go in San Pedro, and what to expect when the event returns. LA Fleet Week is co-hosted by the Port of Los Angeles and the Pacific Battleship Center; NavyWeek.org is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the event or the U.S. Navy.
Opens lafleetweek.com
LA Fleet Week 2026 — Key Facts
- 2026 dates
- May 22–25 (Fri–Mon), Memorial Day weekend
- Status
- Concluded — next edition expected May 2027
- Location
- Battleship IOWA, 250 S. Harbor Blvd, San Pedro, CA 90731
- Hours
- 10 a.m.–6 p.m. daily
- Cost
- Festival & ship tours free; Battleship IOWA tour ~$29
- Ship tours
- Free via a same-day virtual queue
- Air show
- None — LA Fleet Week is a ship-tour and expo event
- Official site
- lafleetweek.com
Source: lafleetweek.com · Last verified: June 11, 2026
SCHEDULE
| Date | Event | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19–25Tue–Mon | Neighborhood activations across LA & Orange County | Varies | Citywide |
| May 21Thu | Downtown San Pedro welcome party | 5–9 p.m. | Downtown San Pedro |
| May 22Fri | Wilmington welcome reception | 5:30–8:30 p.m. | Historic Banning Museum, Wilmington |
| May 22–25Fri–Mon | Main festival, expo & free ship tours | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | Battleship IOWA / Port of LA, San Pedro |
| May 25Mon | Memorial Day ceremony | Daytime | Main stage beside Battleship IOWA |
This is the 2026 schedule, now concluded. The 2027 edition is expected to follow the same Memorial Day-weekend pattern; confirm exact dates and the program at lafleetweek.com when they are published.
PARADE OF SHIPS
LA Fleet Week does not stage a public parade of ships in the San Francisco sense. Instead, the visiting Navy and Coast Guard vessels arrive into the Port of Los Angeles through Angels Gate and berth along the San Pedro waterfront beside the Battleship IOWA, where they open for free tours over the four days. The 2026 roster was led by the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, joined by the Coast Guard cutters USCGC Halibut and USCGC Terrell Horne.
Ship-watchers can often catch the vessels transiting the main channel and the outer harbor from the public promenade and from Cabrillo Beach as they arrive and depart — a quieter, free alternative to the festival grounds themselves.
FREE SHIP TOURS
Free active-duty ship tours are the centerpiece of LA Fleet Week, running 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Monday alongside the Battleship IOWA. In 2026 visitors could walk aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex and Coast Guard cutters, with active-duty crews on deck to answer questions. For security reasons the specific ships are not announced far in advance.
Tours are free but managed through a same-day virtual queue rather than a standing line — you join the queue on your phone and are notified when it is your turn, which keeps you out of a physical line in the sun. The Battleship IOWA museum itself is a separate paid tour (about $29), and an Express Experience bundle adds reserved Navy ship-tour times and museum entry. All adults must show a valid government-issued ID to board.
What to know before you board
- Bring a valid government-issued photo ID for adults.
- Use the official LA Fleet Week app or site to join the same-day virtual ship-tour queue.
- Travel light — large bags and backpacks are discouraged and there is no storage on the ships.
- Closed-toe shoes are recommended for ladders and steel decks.
- No weapons or sharp objects; no pets (service animals excepted).
BEST PLACES TO WATCH
With no air show, the "best spots" at LA Fleet Week are the places to see the ships, the expo, and the harbor. These free San Pedro vantage points work during the event and year-round for watching the port.
The heart of the festival — ship tours, the expo, stages, and the Memorial Day ceremony.
Restaurants, the new waterfront development, and the welcome-party venue a short walk from the ships.
A calm beach to watch ships transit the outer harbor on arrival and departure.
Clifftop lawns and the historic lighthouse with sweeping views of the channel and the sea.
High ground over the harbor mouth — the best place to see ships pass Angels Gate.
Harbor-edge strolling and dining beside the main channel near the festival.
GETTING THERE & PARKING
- San Pedro is at the south end of the Harbor Freeway (110); driving is the most common way in, but festival parking near the Battleship is limited and fills early on the holiday weekend.
- LA Fleet Week runs free shuttles from satellite parking and key points in San Pedro — use them to skip the worst of the waterfront congestion.
- LA Metro bus service reaches San Pedro; check Metro for the current routes from the Harbor Transitway and downtown Long Beach.
- If you drive, arrive early or late in the day and consider parking in downtown San Pedro and walking or shuttling the last stretch to the waterfront.
- Memorial Day Monday is the busiest day because of the ceremony — build in extra time for traffic in and out of the port.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
LA Fleet Week launched in 2016 as a Memorial Day-weekend partnership between the Port of Los Angeles and the Pacific Battleship Center, the nonprofit that operates the museum battleship USS Iowa in San Pedro. It quickly became Southern California’s signature kickoff to summer and the region’s largest annual celebration of the sea services.
The Battleship IOWA (BB-61) is the symbolic and physical anchor of the event. The lead ship of her class, she served in World War II — famously carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic — and again in the Korean War and the 1980s, before becoming a museum ship in Los Angeles. In 2026 she was designated the National Museum of the Surface Navy.
The 2026 edition marked LA Fleet Week’s tenth year and tied its programming to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, with a Memorial Day ceremony honoring all branches of the armed forces beside the battleship.
PAST YEARS
LA Fleet Week’s ninth year, a full Memorial Day-weekend event at the Battleship IOWA with free ship tours, a waterfront expo, live music, and the traditional Memorial Day ceremony.
A standard Memorial Day-weekend edition on the San Pedro waterfront, drawing large crowds for free ship tours and the expo.
SOURCES
- LA Fleet Week — official site — LA Fleet Week
- LA Fleet Week event details — San Pedro Downtown Waterfront
- Fleet Week on the Battleship IOWA — Visit Long Beach
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