NavyWeek.org is an independent guide. The Thunderbirds are operated by the U.S. Air Force, and each air show is run by its own host or organizer. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, the squadron, or any show organizer. Dates and schedules are set by the military and the organizers and can change at any time. Always confirm current details with the official source before you travel.
THUNDERBIRDS
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds' 2026 season opens with the Daytona 500 flyover on February 15 and closes at Wings Over Houston on October 31–November 1 — 31 appearances coast to coast in the Air Force's America 250 year. Every stop on the official schedule is below, each with a full city guide: dates, show times, the best viewing spots, and how to get there.
Thunderbirds 2026 — Key Facts
- Branch
- U.S. Air Force
- Aircraft
- Six F-16 Fighting Falcons
- Home base
- Nellis AFB, Nevada
- 2026 shows
- 31 appearances
- Season
- February 15 (Daytona) – October 31–November 1 (Houston)
- Flying since
- 1953
Last verified: June 11, 2026
2026 TOUR SCHEDULE
| Dates | City | Show | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15 | Daytona Beach, FL | Daytona 500 Flyover | Guide coming soon |
| Mar 21–22 | Glendale, AZ | Luke Days | Guide coming soon |
| Mar 28–29 | Sumter, SC | Shaw Air Expo | Guide coming soon |
| Apr 3–4 | Rome, GA | Wings Over North Georgia | Guide coming soon |
| Apr 11–12 | Panama City Beach, FL | Gulf Coast Salute | Guide coming soon |
| Apr 18–19 | Lakeland, FL | SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo | Guide coming soon |
| Apr 25–26 | Fairfield, CA | Wings Over Solano | Guide coming soon |
| May 2–3 | San Antonio, TX | JBSA Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| May 9–10 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Fort Lauderdale Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| May 16–17 | Mountain Home, ID | Mountain Home AFB Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| May 23–24 | Miami Beach, FL | Hyundai Air & Sea Show | Guide coming soon |
| May 28 | Colorado Springs, CO | USAFA Graduation Flyover | Guide coming soon |
| Jun 13–14 | Ocean City, MD | OC Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Jun 20–21 | Niagara Falls, NY | Thunder of Niagara | Guide coming soon |
| Jun 27–28 | Ogden, UT | Warriors Over the Wasatch | Guide coming soon |
| Jul 11–12 | Duluth, MN | Duluth Airshow | Guide coming soon |
| Jul 18–19 | Sioux Falls, SD | Sioux Falls Airshow | Guide coming soon |
| Aug 1–2 | Montgomery, NY | New York Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Aug 8–9 | Rochester, NY | Rochester International Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Aug 15–16 | Chicago, IL | Chicago Air & Water Show | Guide coming soon |
| Aug 22–23 | Terre Haute, IN | Terre Haute Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Aug 29–30 | Peru, IN | Grissom Air & Space Expo | Guide coming soon |
| Sep 5–7 | Branson, MOBranson Airport | Branson Air ShowTicketed | Branson guide |
| Sep 12–13 | Owensboro, KY | Owensboro Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Sep 19–20 | Roswell, NM | Roswell Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Sep 26–27 | Salinas, CA | California International Airshow | Guide coming soon |
| Oct 3–4 | Huntington Beach, CA | Pacific Airshow | Guide coming soon |
| Oct 10–11 | Sacramento, CA | California Capital Airshow | Guide coming soon |
| Oct 17–18 | Jacksonville, FL | NAS Jacksonville Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Oct 24–25 | Wichita, KS | Wichita Air Show | Guide coming soon |
| Oct 31–Nov 1 | Houston, TX | Wings Over Houston | Guide coming soon |
ABOUT THE THUNDERBIRDS
The Thunderbirds — officially the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron — have flown since 1953, making them America’s other great jet team and the Air Force’s ambassadors in blue. The squadron flies six red-white-and-blue F-16 Fighting Falcons from its home at Nellis Air Force Base outside Las Vegas, where it trains through the winter and flies its season-opening and season-anchoring appearances.
A Thunderbirds demonstration runs about 40–50 minutes: the four-ship Diamond flies the precision formation work — including the signature Diamond pass with wingtips feet apart — while the two Solos supply the high-speed crosses, sneak passes, and maximum-performance maneuvers. Unlike the Navy’s team, the Thunderbirds’ jets are combat-coded F-16s that can be returned to front-line service in days.
How the schedule gets made: show organizers apply through the Department of Defense aerial events program years in advance, and the team announces each season’s lineup the preceding December at the International Council of Air Shows convention. The 2027 preliminary schedule is already public — 31 more stops — and dates do move during a season; two to four changes a year is normal.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Also touring this year: the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, with 32 shows of their own.
Editorial policy
- Source priority. We cite the official U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds schedule and each host show's announcements first. Dates, show names, and locations are quoted from those sources and dated above.
- Independence. NavyWeek.org is not affiliated with the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense, NAVCO, or any federal agency. We do not accept payment to recommend specific recruiters, schools, vendors, or services.
- Review cadence. Because the military and show organizers can change dates at any time, this schedule is re-verified against the official sources on a recurring basis and whenever a reader reports a change.
- Reviewer. The page is reviewed for accuracy by the reviewer named in the byline. The "Last reviewed" date at the top of the page reflects the most recent review pass.
- Corrections. Factual errors are corrected as soon as we can verify the issue against an official source. See the "Report an outdated fact" link below.
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