Last year's Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach was a bust due to fog and the marine layer that just would not burn off. The weather today was near picture perfect. However, I think the show was overshadowed by the government shutdown and the absence of any U.S. military aircraft. I always park in the garage on Olive and Third Street. Last year, I arrived at 10am and all levels of the garage were full except for half of the roof. This year, I arrived around 9:45am and the second level was only about half full. It seems like attendance was down. It is always wild to see the Red Bull helicopter do loops and other crazy maneuvers. The flybys by the B-29, C-17, and Albatross were cool. There were quite a few different prop planes doing various maneuvers with smoke. But the U.S. military jets are the draw for me. We just saw the T-33 Shooting Star jet do its performance. There was one other Polish jet and the Canadian Showbirds later on, but we left early. Hopefully the third time's a charm next year, with good weather and appearances by the F-22, F-35, Thunderbirds, etc. 3.5 stars. read more

Pacific Airshow - Two prop planes loop contrail - Festivals Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

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We attended this year's Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, and while we knew going in that the show would be limited since the U.S. military aircraft and demonstrations were grounded due to the federal government shutdown, it was still a great day out by the beach! We decided to make a whole afternoon of it and had brunch at Jolie, which turned out to be a perfect choice. We were given an excellent table with a great view of the airshow, close enough to catch the action while enjoying good food and drinks. It definitely made up for the scaled-back aerial lineup. Even though the show wasn't as intense or loud as in previous years, the atmosphere was still lively, the crowd was in great spirits, and it's hard to beat that oceanfront backdrop. Overall, it was a more laid-back version of the airshow this year, but still worth it for the views, energy, and beach experience. Definitely planning to come back next year once everything's back in full swing! read more

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They have the wrong information online. According to the website the show was over at 4:30p.m. I came late at 1:30p.m. Parking was difficult and costly. I parked at the Promenade lot. It was by the hour max of $50. Next time I'll park on the streets. Getting in was super easy. It was 80 bucks for my son and I. Rip off to be honest. I was in the general admission area. The place was pretty empty. That's because everyone else was outside or in front of us in the beach for free. The vendors were plenty. Good solid choices. At this time though it seems that the place was emptying out. At 3pm the show was over! The announcer kept breaking up on the speakers. I'm not sure why I paid all that money for nothing. Next year, I'll sit outside and watch for free. read more

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What a beautiful show even if there was a government shut down, they made up for it with plenty of fast planes, as well as a few massive post war vintage aircraft. Something you must see in person to appreciate the abilities of these very skilled aviators. Checkout @teambeyondgravity read more

All week, I've been hearing the roar of planes flying overhead during the rehearsal, and on the first day of the show (October 4th-6th, 2024) , I finally had some time to head down to the pier and check it out. I was worried the weather might be gloomy (it's been foggy the last few days), but luckily, the sun came out in the afternoon, and the view was amazing! Watching the show live was so thrilling! My iPhone 16 Pro also did an awesome job capturing the performances I loved. According to the program, it was the US Air Force Thunderbirds and the F-22 Raptor team plus others performing. I'm no plane expert and couldn't tell which was which from a distance, but wow, when they flew by, the speed was insane! Honestly, all I could think about was Tom Cruise and Top Gun the whole time. The show was fantastic, and unless you're planning to sit right on the pier, you don't really need to buy tickets. You can just find a spot anywhere. I stood near the Huntington Beach Playground, where there's a grassy area and public tables & seats to sit at. If you want to hang out on the sand, just bring a couple of beach chairs and an umbrella--it's a great setup. I was really lucky to go on Friday because I heard the following two days were so cloudy and barely nothing exciting. read more

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Event is well organized and so much fun!! Unfortunately the fog came in thick so we were unable to see a lot of aircraft performances. Can't change the weather and can't wait for sunny, clear skies next year!! Great announcer Excellent website that outlines the day Seamless enter and exit read more

Pacific Airshow - Stole planes start it off! - Festivals Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

I attended the Friday, October 4th , the first day if the Pacific Airshow, in Huntington Beach. The sky was fairly clear for some of the day, but for the remainder of the show it was difficult to see the performers. To their credit, the Pacific Airshow organizers offered Friday General Admission ticket holders free admission to either the Saturday or Sunday show. When the sky is clear, this is an amazing show. Several years ago I watched the show from a large boat that left from Newport Beach. I now feel that watching the show from the beach can be a more enjoyable option. Food trucks were nearby and the announcer educated and entertained those on the beach about the planes and jets. Before attending this show, I got the clear impression that large umbrellas and ice chests would not be allowed, yet as the attached picture suggests, there were plenty of those around. I'll bring a larger umbrella the next time I attend. read more

Pacific Airshow - General Admission Ticket holders - Festivals Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

We have attended this event several years in a row. This is our last. Beware-- you now have to pay $50 for parking. read more

We waited an entire year to finally see this show! When we came to the area on the first Saturday of October in 2021, we heard planes flying. I looked up what might be going on and it was an air show! We arrived a little too late to find parking and decided we would come back on Sunday. We woke up early and drove down to the Huntington Beach Pier area and was able to find great parking. We did think it was odd that there were no vendors and everything was shut down. Came to find out there had been an oil spill over night and the show was cancelled for Oct. 3, 2021. We thought we should come on Saturday this year, 2022, to ensure we got to enjoy the air show! We arrived around 9:15AM and made our way to the beach. We parked up around 3rd & Walnut which has metered parking. Walking towards the beach, we were able to view some of the Military Boats and chat with Military Personnel at several booths. I got a cool small bag from the US Coast Guard with some sunscreen, Chapstick, and 2 Bottles of Hand Sanitizers. There are lots of booths to visit. We went into the Army's Simulator and tried our hand at the in-flight refueling. I failed. LOL There was another set of simulators in the Air Force module. We walked in and decided to walk out without participating further after hubby tried the parachute one and it wasn't working for him. The planes in flight were spectacular as always! I'm amazed at the skill of the pilots maneuvering the jets, helicopters, and even the BlackFly (Personal Aerial Car)! The jets showed their impressive power ... so loud as they flew by! I enjoyed their formations as well! That FEDEX 757 moved in ways that were gravity defying! We saw the Air Force Thunderbirds & B-52, Parachuters, USN F-35C, USN F-18, Army Helicopter UH60, Red Bull Air Force, USAF C-17, PACAF F-16 Viper, USAF F-16, FEDEX 757, Blackfly and many more!!! We walked around and watched the show from various places. We also got food from several places. While we couldn't see everything, we saw lots! The canopies and stadium for the paid areas blocked the views of what was happening directly in front. I think there were boats in the water. When the aircrafts did their fly-by with stunts in front of the Grand Stands, we missed seeing them from the unpaid areas. We were surprised with how good it was for being served at the beach! We got Chicken Strips with Fries from Surf Hero Marketplace, Shaved Ice from Tikiz, and a Vanilla/Chocolate Swirled Soft-Serve Ice Cream from Jack's Beach Concessions. Tikiz has a Surv-Board where you can add your own syrups on top of the plain Shaved Ice Cup you order. It's pretty cool! We had a fun-filled day! Be sure to use sunscreen and wear a hat. I did neither and got a nice sunburn on my face! Hopefully the Airshow will be back next year and hopefully we'll make a day of it again! read more

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Love, LOVE this Airshow!! It's something we look forward to each year and were super bummed that it was cancelled in 2020 due to you know what... :-( It's so much fun being out on the sand/in the water watching the planes zoom on by!! My husband and I went 2 out of 3 days this year. It gets super packed in the area so plan on parking far and walking quite a bit or better yet, ride your bikes there! (We drove our bikes, parked far then rode them in). read more

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Wow it was amazing ! Love the location, the staff working the event were great. The selection of air craft was so good. The pilots put on an amazing display of skill and professionalism. We were amazed. So good i cant wait to go again. read more

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This Airshow should be on everyone's bucket list. One of the best airshows. The best two words that can describe this Airshow are incredible and exhilarating. You can't ask for more sights, sounds and the beach. My boys love airplanes and the beach. This is a free event but you can purchase upgrade tickets for a posh experience. You can get a great view of the show from anywhere at Huntington Beach. My only suggestion is to come early and plan to stay the entire day and take the entire family for a one in a lifetime experience. read more

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The city of HB needs to get their act together. The fog? Yeah, I get it, you can't control the weather. But you can control the parking, the city streets, the price gouging for parking, the horrendously long lines to enter the event, and the bikes and ebikes, my god...the ebikes. The congestion was 2nd only to Disneyland. This was our 2nd year, and we were really looking forward to it. Last year we booked a table at Sandy's and had an excellent time. We paid $40 to park and spent the whole day there. This year, the same places wanted $100-$150 to park, we purchased tickets but never entered the event because the line to get in was miles long, and the boardwalk between the gates was so unbelievable packed with ebikes, I never seen anything like it. People were yelling at each other, fighting for sidewalk space, pedestrians were getting hit, bikes were getting knocked over, and not a single officer, security, or event employee anywhere in sight. Everyone fending for themselves. Too bad, we will definitely not be back next year. read more

The review is for the weather. It's 11:30am, Saturday, 10/05/24, and the fog or MARINE LAYER is still thick. I don't hear aircraft, so maybe they suspended the Pacific Airshow until the clouds clear. We entered the PARKING lot just east of Newland St. We asked how much for disabled parking, attendant said $40, even though the sign says $40 for regular day use, $20 for disabled, and $39 for handicapped. ‍. We turned around and left because we just wanted to know the price first. If the clouds clear and they start up the airshow again, we will come back after lunch. read more

(2022) Last year was $15 for Airshow parking. 2023 in the Bidenflation days it jumped to $40.. for a FREE AIRSHOW.. what a joke. While in line I was like, this line is moving fast, as we noticed cars leaving too.. then as we approached the gate.. and noticed the parking day fee was $40, an increase of $25 from the previous years... EF THAT CALIFORNIA!! Thanks Gov. Newscum for ruining another fun thing to do in California on top of $7 a gallon gasoline .on top of HB making a killing this weekend, with no other options to park close by as they block off streets, don't allow for metered parking in certain areas and hotel prices are triple the cost.. they write over 5000 parking violations on avg $75 each.. every other airshow has off site parking with shuttle buses taking you to the airshow.. this would be a smart idea... read more

This was my first time attending the Pacific Air Show, and I went on Saturday. Unfortunately, it was overcast the entire day, so we could only hear the aircraft, not see them, which was disappointing. Due to the weather, we were allowed to return on Sunday, but the conditions were the same. There was a brief window where the sky cleared, and we managed to catch a glimpse of one plane. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate next year so we can fully enjoy the show. Also, the drinks were a bit overpriced, and the food truck selection could have been more diverse. Despite the weather challenges, I'm looking forward to attending next year in hopes of actually seeing the planes." read more

This was. Complete waste of time and money. Saddened by the fog and didn't see a single aircraft. My issue is how they handled everything. The general admission line was almost 3 hours long. Thousands of people and a handful of food trucks. Not once did they announce the show was canceled. Waited there till from 9am-4:30pm. Greed at its best. We should all be refunded. Your solution of continuing to invite guests for the following day due to fog is not a solution. It's a complete disaster. read more

Would never go to this show. It screws over local residents by privatizing a public beach and scaring our animals with the loud noise for hours FOR SEVERAL DAYS. It got old really quick. read more

Expect trying to find parking for over an 1hr, waiting over 1.5hr in line just to get in, and not even able to see any plans due to the thick marine layer. And wait 2hrs in line for a food truck. And security performing stricter cavity checks than the TSA looking for people bringing in alcohol. This was embarrassing to the guest I invited and a huge disappointment for the expected turn out SMH read more

Hours long wait to get in after purchasing tickets in advance. https://youtu.be/FgxI1lTl3oA?feature=shared read more

well unless you got here at 7am then you won't get in. due to the weather conditions yesterday they only were able to fly for a short duration of time. The problem being is the allowed everyone from Friday to have priority admission on Saturday. So you can only imagine the 3 hour wait to get in. many people said "forget it and left". Highly disappointed in the lack of food trucks and you cannot go buy any swag unless you are on the VIP side. Its still over cast on Saturday and nothing has started due to the weather again. super bummed. read more

Air show is great.....but most definitely do not buy tickets for the VIP/general admission area. U want alcoholic beverages? 45+ minute wait, Vegas prices U want food? Hour wait, expensive but everything is expensive The wait to get in is was like Disney land SAVE your money and time and fun capabilities and just set yourself up next to the event Major bummer read more

DON'T BOTHER PAYING FOR "PREMIER" SEATING, KIDS ARE ALOUD, AS LIKE AS IN SMALL KIDS. VERY DISRUPTING. ESPECIALLY WHEN PARENTS ALLOW THEM TO ROAM ABOUT THE SAND BETWEEN THE TABLE AND THE CHAIRS ...... which are already set too close together, leaving zero room to get by. When you pay a good money to be somewhere , the last thing you want are small children about..... with parents who are oblivious. I have gone every year since the beginning. I won't be attending this year because of it. But if you're into paying all that money, watching your language and being completely distracted by little ones, enjoy! read more

This show has had different sponsors over the years but it is simply not to be missed if you are in So. Cal. While they make a big deal about getting tickets for seats, it's not necessary to have an amazing time. While you get a better view in the reserved areas for things like the landing of parachutes, you can see just fine anywhere on the beach or in spots on PCH overlooking the water. I'm guessing close to a million people pack the area for this annual 3-day event. It's basically the same show from 11am to 4pm each day with slight variations in the lineups. Parking has gotten expensive but you can spots in HB to park for free and hoof it down to the sand. We are fortunate enough to live close by so my family usually rides bikes and grab a spot near the Hyatt. Such great fun. read more

A must event for everyone! What a fantastic show! You will remember this event forever! Not suitable for young children or pets: Both get anxiety and weird behavior caused by the low flying loud planes. Best place to watch where all the photographers and police hang out is the Huntington Beach Pier. The planes perform for the Pier and some head toward you and veer up at the last minute giving everyone a scare. Well worth the cost of the ticket to be on the pier, you get a comfortable general admission seat positioned to face all the action, umbrellas to stand under if you are getting too much sun, alcohol for purchase--you also avoid a lot of the HB riff-Raff of which there are many if you have ever been to any of the free pier summer concerts--too many suspect individuals in HB attracted to the beach. Second best place to watch for free is the beach near the pier. Easy free parking at the Civic Center with Free Shuttle to the beach. Again, if you want to enjoy this show, you need to be on the Pier with a paid ticket OR on the beach near the Pier as close to the water as possible. The further away from the water you are, the less impact the show will have. read more

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Absolutely amazing !!! What a fantastic show. We did a premier tickets but general admission is just as good. With the premium tickets we got food and drinks. Next year we will probably do a picnic and get general tickets read more

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First and last time ever attending the air show . We were so excited to finally be able to make it yo the beach for the show we purchased 7 tickets for $35 each when we got there the line was about a mile long on both sides we weren't able to get into the actual show until 2 pm when we paid for 10am-4pm . There was no show due to the fog which isn't anyone's fault no one can control the weather . We were offered tickets for NEXT YEAR when I requested a refund instead I was denied the refund such a let down . read more

Parking for airshow is terrible at $40; expect a long walk of 30-minutes if parking offsite; traffic is bad; expect to wait in a long line to park; expect to wait in another long line to enter the venue ; you will be frustrated; employees and vendors speed/drive their supply carts on the sand in total disregard for people sitting on sand; ocean access is denied for non- ticket holders; $4,500 fee for the weekend for their RV parking; no refunds; $30 admission gets you thru the gates; the show is free if you sit on the sand outside the fencing; The 2024 show had bad weather all weekend, no visibility; dense fog all day; waste of time and money; hugely disappointed; I recommend going to an another airshow away from the ocean due to bad weather and lack of parking read more

Lines to long. People leaving due to the 2 hour wait in line. People asking for thier money back.

AMAZING SHOW!!! If you want the best seats in the house buy tickets for the Flight Club tent. All of the show takes place right in front of where the tent and tables are setup for viewing. The announcer can be heard and the music, as well as the para-commandos land right in front of this area!! You have access to "upgraded" porta potties , shade, tables with chairs, etc. There is an open wine & beer bar, of course sodas and water included in the ticket price. People were getting there drink on.The food is nothing to rave about but you're there to see the INCREDIBLE maneuvers of all of the talented pilots, right???!!! Best seat in the house. Will do it again next year. Go on Friday. Same show, less traffic. Some of the pilots stopped by and took selfies. Fun day! read more

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What an overbloated waste of fuel and time. As a resident of Costa Mesa, we have these loud jets flying dangerously close to our homes and schools, so close they set off the car alarms all over my neighborhood. Does anybody see an problem with that should something go wrong with these planes? Why cant they fly over the water and NOT over our neighborhoods! read more

It would be hard to overstate my disappointment with this event. I attended Friday, Oct. 4th. It stayed fogged in until 2:30 PM (3/4s of the airshow over), and I got to see the Thunderbirds and Rhino F-18A and that's it!- a mostly wasted day. Saturday had to be better, right? No - today we got to see............. NOTHING. I know the Airshow can't control the weather, but they can control when they schedule their show. Why does it have to wait until October? What's wrong with summer? Sooner or later, pushing the show into the fall, his was bound to happen. This year I did the three airshow circuit: Mid Coast Airshow, followed by Miramar, followed by the Pacific Airshow - consecutive weekends Mid-Coast and Miramar were both great! Pacific Sucked! I have a 3 day pass, but why go Sunday and waste my time for the third time? From the beach I could see all the balcony-lined high rise hotels and all the people on them waiting for something, Anything to happen. Boy did they get screwed! Then there are the schedules - some kind of closely guarded company secret, apparently. I looked for them days before the show right up to the morning before leaving to go to no avail, When did they send them? Today's was at 9:10 AM. I was long-since AT the airshow by then, so it did me no good. I know, at the airshow , PA has these kiosks with a QR code on them labeled airshow "Schedule,", so I went to get it that way. Did I succeed? Nope! It just took me to ticket sales. I already had a ticket! But what I Did accomplish is that I started getting texts from PA to sell me more tickets. PA definitely has the making money part down, they just don't offer a viable airshow. If the Pacific Airshow is scheduled for the same cusp-of October timeslot next year, I'm Not going to attend - I'll just go to Miramar and Mid Coast - they delivered! read more

Obviously the line up varies from year to year, but 2019 was incredible. possibly as many as six headline-capable acts (depending on how you count), at least three of whom are the star at most shows anywhere: RCAF Snowbirds (Royal Canadian Air Force 431 Air Demonstration squadron), USAF Thunderbirds (United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron), and the rarest highlight making one of their few visits across the pond, the RAF Red Arrows (Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team). Could barely hear the announcer on parts of the pier, but then with so many amazing aircraft and pilots hard at work, who cares? Main annoyance: they don't publish a schedule. So best to show up before start time, be in place on time, and see the whole thing. The lack of a schedule was a HUGE annoyance beforehand... until you realized the whole show was incredible. Can easily imagine on years with a less impressive line-up that this is a much more serious issue for planning. read more

We paid for VIP tickets to this air show and it was great fun! Definitely need those ear plugs, got good seats under the shade and there's room to roam around too. Would recommend paying premium price if you don't want to worry about bringing a lot of things with you. We also uber to the beach without hassle of finding parking! read more

Kevin P is correct. Regardless of how amazing the show is and how much joy it brings many of us, the Pacific Airshow displayed its true colors by not refunding ticket holders after Sunday's cancellation. They said: "At this time, we want you to know that we are trying to determine who is the responsible party for this disaster and ultimately work on your behalf to do the right thing." We appreciate that they are trying to determine who the responsible party is, but that should be unrelated to the second part of their statement regarding doing the right thing on behalf of ticket holders. It's quite simple, they should reimburse us while pursuing their claim against the "responsible party." We were sympathetic to the events that led to the cancellation of the Airshow but the mishandling and infrequent communication since has negated any goodwill. The amount of negative feedback is mounting and it's clear that their intentions are based on greed and a desire to transfer risk to their customers, which is appalling. In fact, we have effectively become the "responsible party" and this fact is not lost on anyone. We intend to be quite vocal about our displeasure and are looking into a possible class action. read more

Great show but have to say it. Around 2:30 the jets were flying VERY LOW over the (north of the pier) beach and were absolutely ear shattering. Loudest noise we've ever heard. My family jumped in shock at the level of noise. It hurt our ears. These jets are bombs with wings. Unbelievably TOO close to the ground and people loud. And yes, unbelievably awe inspiring. BRING EAR PROTECTION!!! read more

Pacific Airshow is refusing to issue refunds until they themselves pursue legal action against the entity responsible for the cancellation and attempting to make ticket holders wait (presumably) years before any real refunds are actually issued...which is illegal in California, per CA BPC Statute 22507 which requires the ticket price of any event that is cancelled to be fully refunded to the ticket holder upon request. The only email sent out from them states that they want to make things right with ticket holders, but they don't know what that means, or when it will be done. Ridiculous. On top of that, after spending over $300 for "upgraded" tickets to the airshow only to find out 2 hours before showtime that it was cancelled. Sure, the reason for the cancellation was beyond their control, however it was an issue that was known about well in advance, and the news media reported the cancellation of the event before any email was even sent out. read more

The Great Pacific air show is as good as it gets every year! Show Center is the best and worth every penny and more. It is an epic,unbelievable,goose bump producing,unforgettable event. Code Four that produces the show goes above and beyond for this spectacular performance of skill,thrill and patriotic magic! Get your show center tickets for 2023 when they are available. read more

Always fun but the parking situation sucks! Need better options and parking prices are way too expensive!!!

I'm giving 3 stars for the overall event and all the hard work that paid contractors did to bring it to the city again. To City Council: You messed up big time this year. You and the organizers owe an apology to the citizens and businesses of Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley who do not make a living at beach oriented shops on Main Street. The other 90% of our city has put up too long with the irresponsible hands-off style of recent city administrations. Next year -- please ONE DAY ONLY with NO PRACTICE DAYS. S/S plus Th/Fr "practice" are too much. Today's example -- Today was a second "practice day" -- Fri 10/1/2021. At 3:45, two jets flew extremely low in a NE direction over Adams and Magnolia. The roaring and screeching was so loud that I and several cars pulled over quickly thinking a car was skidding our way -- only it only got louder and didn't stop. This is just too much -- and is not "patriotic" to cause accidents as well as damage to PTSD sufferers. Also think of animals ear damage. Again... keep the air show!! But tone down the low flying and keep more of it out over the ocean and beach -- not 5-10 miles into residential areas. HB is out of control as far as I can tell. I will NOT move because of incompetent city elected officials, but I WILL actively campaign against the jokers who voted to give free reign to the event organizer and permit unbelievable levels of noise in our neighborhoods. Maybe give organizer Code 4 one chance to do the entertainment next year and give the air show coordination to someone with more understanding of the 90% of HB and FV citizens who do not appreciate low flying jets over their neighborhoods for FOUR DAYS. Code 4 Media Group, Inc. Kevin P Elliot, CEO https://www.codefour.com/our-work 5252 Bolsa Ave Huntington Beach, CA 92649 (714) 500-4994 As listed at: https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.code_4_media_group_inc.44969468a2b07bcae54a7d475e1cde89.html Please respect your VETERANS and THOSE WHO VOTED FOR YOU or take this show somewhere else and go with it. read more