How To Watch On The Water And On Land
One of the best viewing venues is right under the airplanes and on the waterfrom the deck of a boat. Hop onboard and get out on Lake Michigan. Dont have a boat? Thats where we come in. You can find a long list of available boats for rent right here on Boatsetterrent for a few hours or a full day.
There are many unique boats in Chicago to choose from. Find small and large powerboats and sailboats that are offered with or without a captain. Theres no better summer outing than being on the water, and you cant beat the front row seats.
Other shoreside spots for great viewing of the Chicago Air and Water Show include:
- Waterfront destinations include the Shore Club and Castaways.
Chicago Air And Water Show Returns To The Lakefront This Weekend
CHICAGO — The Chicago Air and Water Show returns to the lakefront this weekend.
You can watch the action for free at North Avenue Beach from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Watching F-35 fighter jets cross over each other ahead of refuelling mid-air above Lake Michigan Grinning KC-135 Boom operator who has done this job for decades: you dont see that every day!!!@cbschicago
Marissa Parra
You an also get great views from Navy Pier or Fullerton Avenue Beach.
Or you can go to Gary/Chicago International Airport for its tailgating version. It costs $10 to park in the paved lot during the show, starting at 8 a.m. each day, and you might even get a chance to meet and talk to some of the pilots.
Higher res still frame:
Marissa Parra
The Blue Angels, made up of U.S. Navy pilots, will be performing stunts along the lakefront.
The Golden Knights U.S. Army Parachute Team will be along the lakefront this weekend. The team is bringing a brand new routine as members jump out of planes.
“The most exciting part of my day is actually jumping out of the plane,” SSG Nikolas Orozco said.
- In:
Watch: Tracy Butler Interviews Some Of Blue Angels
The U.S. Navy has provided an additional F-35C Legacy II to its Legacy Flight to incorporate a “Missing Man” dedication to Rudy Malnati Jr.
Other appearances include the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team, U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II Demo Team, U.S. Coast Guard Air/Sea Rescue, Maryland Air National Guard A-10C Thunderbolt II, Illinois Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker, the Illinois National Guard 183rd Security Forces, U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey and U.S. Air Force Red Horse Mobile Aircraft Arresting Gear Team.
The Chicago Fire Department Air/Sea Rescue and Chicago Police Department Helicopter will also be part of the show.
The schedule is decided the morning of the show by the pilots, and performers are subject to change.
WBBM Newsradio 780 / 105.9 will broadcast the show live Saturday and Sunday, on both the radio and the free Audacy app. For more information, visit chicagoairandwatershow.us.
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Chicago Air And Water Show
Free admission Chicago lakefront
Starting in the summer of 1959, the Chicago Air and Water Show has grown to be the largest and oldest free admission air and water exhibition in the United States. The spectacular two-day event draws an audience of over two million to the citys stunning beachfront to see military and pilots perform astonishing stunts above the waters of Lake Michigan.
For more than 60 years, the multi-day show has taken to the skies above Lake Michigan, with North Avenue Beach as the center point. Make sure to arrive early to secure your spot and catch the spectacular demonstrations by aircrafts, boats, and diving and parachute teams. Its a thrilling, bucket list experience soak up the sun, breathe in the crisp lake breezes, and feel the rumble of jet engines soaring overhead.
Watch: Herb Hunter Is The Voice Of The Air And Water Show
While the show looks like it will get off to a dry start around 10 a.m. Saturday, shower and thunderstorm chances increase in the afternoon.
Scattered rain and showers are also possible on Sunday afternoon. Before you head to the lakefront, check the latest ABC7 AccuWeather forecast here.
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The Wbez Guide To Chicagos Air And Water Show
Its back!
Love it or hate it, the full-scale Chicago Air and Water Show is back this weekend for the first time since 2019.
Two million people are expected to gather by the lakefront for the free event. And, even though the weekends forecast is calling for rain, organizers say the show will go on.
We have every intention of the full show taking place, said Jennifer Johnson Washington, a deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Should we have severe weather, the show could pause while we wait for a front to move through if were just talking about cloud cover, they can adjust the show in terms of altitude.
Access Audio Description And Experience Every Twist And Turn During The Chicago Air And Water Show August 20 & 21 2022
Audio Description will be available on Saturday August 20 and Sunday August 21st from 10am-2pm.
What is Audio Description?
Audio Description is the process of utilizing a voice to describe visual aspects of the performance in order to provide essential information or valuable details to someone who is blind, visually impaired, or someone who would like a verbal description of the show.
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Getting To The Air And Water Show
Pick-up and drop-off is at the North Avenue northbound entrance to Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
The CTA 72 bus that usually stops at North Avenue Beach will be rerouted.
Millennium Park Garages has discounted pre-purchase parking and a shuttle from the garage to inner Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
There is no public parking at the beach over Air and Water weekend.
Visit chicago.gov for more information on the show.
Chicago Air And Water Show 202: Saturday Schedule
CHICAGO — The 2022 Chicago Air and Water Show kicks off Saturday morning along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point of the show. The program will start at 10:00 a.m. and continue until 2:00 p.m.
WBBM has your Saturday schedule.* Here’s what you need to know if you go.
Morning
10:00 a.m. U.S. Army Golden Knight Flag Jump
10: 05 a.m. Triple Time
10:15 a.m. U.S. Army Golden Knights
10:38 a.m. U.S. Navy F-35 Lightning and Legacy Flight
11:08 a.m. Illinois Air National Guard
11:18 a.m. A-10 Thunderbolt
11:28 a.m. Susan Dacy with Big Red
11:36 a.m. Chicago Police Department Helicopter
11:44 a.m. C-17 Demo Team West
11:54 a.m. U.S. Marine MV-22 Osprey
Afternoon
12:14 p.m. USAF F-22 Raptor and Heritage Flight
12:44 p.m. Kevin Coleman
12:52 p.m. Chicago Police Department Helicopter
1:00 p.m. Rob Holland
1:15 p.m. U.S. Navy Blue Angels
*Schedule may change for weather or other reasons.
WBBM Newsradio will have live coverage of the Air and Water Show. Visit wbbmnewsradio.com/airshow for all of our coverage. Don’t forget to for all of the live videos, photos and more.
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Whos Performing Each Day
The schedule is subject to change and determined on show days. The lineup includes:
- U.S. Navy Blue Angels: More than 100 crew members including enlisted members of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines pilot and maintain eight F/A-18 Hornets, of which six will perform, and C-130 Fat Albert. The teams signature aerial maneuvers include diamond and delta formations.
- U.S. Army Golden Knights: Appearing here since the 1960s when they would land in Lake Michigan this team of soldiers has jumped with former Cubs catcher and current manager David Ross, actor Vince Vaughn and comedian Bill Murray.
- Other military performers: U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight with P-51 Mustang U.S. Air Force Red Horse Mobile Aircraft Arresting Gear Team U.S. Coast Guard Air and Sea Rescue Demo U.S. Marines MV-22 Osprey U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II Demo Team U.S. Navy Legacy Flight with FG-1D Corsair and A-4B Skyhawk Illinois Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker Illinois National Guard 183rd Security Forces and Maryland Air National Guard A-10C Thunderbolt II.
- Civilians: Chicago Fire Department Air and Sea Rescue Unit Chicago Police Department helicopter Kevin Coleman Susan Dacy Rob Holland Bill Stein and Triple Time Team.
How Do I Get To North Avenue Beach
Pedestrians: Bridges, tunnels or underpasses at Fullerton Avenue, Division Street, Scott Street, Chicago Avenue, North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach provide easy access to the lakefront and North Avenue Beach.
Public transportation: Extra service and capacity will be provided throughout the weekend. Use Regional Transportation Authoritys Trip Planner tool to map your route. Its recommended passengers purchase tickets ahead of time or through the Ventra app to avoid long lines.
Chicago Transit Authority and getting there by L: The CTA will provide extra service on some lines as well as No. 72 North Avenue and No. 151 Sheridan bus routes. Take the Red Line to stations at Chicago/State or Clark/Division, which are within walking distance of show center. Or, take the Blue, Green, Orange, Brown or Pink lines to the downtown area and walk east. The closest CTA station to the North Avenue Beach entrance is the Brown Lines Sedgwick station.
Metra: Extra service will be provided on four of Metras 11 lines with expanded passenger capacity, too, during the weekend. Customers disembarking at Metras Union Station or Millennium Park Station can board CTAs No. 151 buses to Oak Street and North Avenue beaches. Alcohol is prohibited and bicycles might not be accommodated all day Saturday and Sunday.
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Air & Water Show Parking
Heading to the Air & Water Show on August 20 & 21, 2022, we recommend parking at our Millennium Park Garage at 5 South Columbus Drive to take advantage of our free shuttle service to North Avenue Beach.
*Shuttle Service for Millennium Garages Customers Only
If you would like to walk, watch from the Lakefront or take a ride share, Millennium Park Garage or Millennium Lakeside Garage pedestrian lobbies are conveniently located on East Randolph and East Monroe near Lake Shore Drive.
Air & Water Show Performers
Royal Air Force Red Arrows: The Royal Air Force Red Arrows will joining the show this year for the first time. For over a hundred years the Royal Air Force has defended the skies of Britain and projected Britains power and influence around the world. Today the RAF is engaged in 15 missions on 4 continents in 22 countries.
U.S. Navy Blue Angels: The U.S. Navy Blue Angels have been astounding audiences since 1946 with their commanding presence and aerial maneuvers in their F/A-18 Hornet. The team has thrilled more than 427 million fans choreographed aerobatic and high altitude performance maneuvers.
U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights: Jumping out of an aircraft 12,500 feet above the earths surface, racing to North Avenue Beach at speeds exceeding 120 mph and landing with smiles, ready to do it all again all in a days work for the Golden Knights. For more than 50 years, the U.S. Army Parachute team has amazed and thrilled audiences with their precision parachute demonstrations in more than 14,000 shows in all 50 states and 48 countries.
U.S. Navy Parachute Team Leap Frogs: A typical Leap Frogs performance consists of fourteen jumpers leaping out of an aircraft at an altitude of 12,500 feet. The jumpers typically open their parachutes at around 5,000 feet, then fly their canopies together to build dramatic canopy-relative work formations.
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The 62nd Annual Chicago Air & Water Show
Presented by the City of Chicago, the Air and Water Show celebrates 62 years of daredevil thrills in the air and on the water at North Avenue Beach and along Chicagos magnificent lakefront on Lake Michigan. With Chicago’s Skyline as a backdrop, audience numbers reach 2 million annually making the Chicago Air & Water Show the largest FREE admission air and water exhibition of its kind in the United States. Over the years the show has featured some of the top civilian and military pilots and aircraft. Biennially, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds headline along with the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights and the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs.
The Chicago Air & Water Show is conducted in an extremely safe and conscientious way. Safety precautions are taken at all times before, during and after the show. Planes take off and land at the Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Indiana. All pilots perform stunts over the water in a set safety area. When a plane does fly over buildings, it is merely doing so in its flight path to return to the show area or the airport.
The Chicago Air And Water Show Soars Back Into Town August 20 And 21
U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights Return
Madeline Long, Director of Communications Madeline.Long@cityofchicago.org, dcase@cityofchicago.org
U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight & U.S. Navy Legacy Flight join forces to commemorate their departed comrade Rudy Malnati Jr., Director of the Air and Water Show for more than 30 years
The City of Chicago and Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events proudly present the 2022 Chicago Air and Water Show, August 20 and 21 along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach serving as show center from 10am to 2pm daily. Established in 1959 and one of the largest free admission events of its kind, headliners of the 2022 show include the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, who are dedicating their performances to the memory of Rudy Malnati Jr.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels have been astounding audiences since 1946 with their gravity-defying flying, commanding presence and precision maneuvers now performed in their brand-new F/A18E Super Hornets. The brave men and women of the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights will inspire spectators as they jump out of an aircraft 12,000 feet above the earths surface to a perfect target landing on North Avenue Beach.
Show announcer Herb Hunter, the Voice of the Air and Water Show for more than 35 years returns to narrate and guide the spectators through each performer’s aerial choreography.
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Chicago Air And Water Show Returns This Weekend With Blue Angels Golden Knights Performing
2022 Chicago Air and Water Show times, schedule, weather forecast, viewing locations and more
The 2022 Chicago Air & Water Show wraps up Sunday after several weather disruptions.
CHICAGO — The 2022 Chicago Air and Water show is getting ready to take off this weekend.
Established in 1959, the Chicago Air and Water Show is one of the largest free admission events of its kind.
Over the years, many of us here at ABC7 Chicago have had the privilege of flying with the pros, including the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Army Golden Knights.
Strap in for a look back at some of the rides we’ve had in the past!
Chicago On The Cheap Tips:
- If youre just interested in the Air part of the show skip the crowds at the beach. Most of the planes flying in the show take off and land at the Gary International Airport in Gary, Indiana.
- This flight path requires them to fly in from the south. They wont be performing their routines but they will be flying in formation as they pass over downtown, buzzing buildings and flying low over the lake before they head north to North Avenue.
- Find a friend who lives in a high rise along the lakefront or who has an office along the lakefront.
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Chicago Air And Water Show Times
The 2022 Chicago Air and Water Show is set for this Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21. The show is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. both days.
If you’re around the lakefront on Thursday, you may hear jets doing practice runs. Official practice will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.
The jets take off from Gary International Airport in northwest Indiana, then fly north along the lakefront to North Avenue Beach before returning to Gary.
Whats Notable This Year
Fan favorites returning this year include the Army parachute team floating down to earth from thousands of feet above. A rare joint appearance of the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight and U.S. Navy Legacy Flights is new this year
One person who will be notably absent is Rudy Malnati Jr., a member of the famous pizza family who served as the shows air boss for more than 30 years. Malnati, who died of cancer last December, had attended every Air and Water Show since it began in 1959, his wife told theSun-Times. Performances this weekend will be dedicated in his memory, including a special missing man dedication from the Navy.
He was such a critical part of the show, Washington said. Were excited to continue in his memory and try to make him proud.
This years show will feature a wide variety of both vintage and modern aircrafts. While the specifics of the schedule is determined the morning of the show, here are some of the 18 military and eight civilian acts slated to appear this year:
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