Mark the date – the Air & Water Show is back this August with a ‘Reimagined’ one-hour lakefront show!
The Mayor’s Office has revealed that a “new and reimagined” air show will take place this summer having been canceled completely last summer. The scaled-back version of the beloved annual event will feature the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform along the lakefront on the weekend of August 21, and August 22.
The Blue Angels will provide viewers with a one-hour solo demonstration from 12 pm – 1 pm on both days but it is unclear as to whether the usual skydiving and jump teams will make an appearance. According to the official news release, there will also be practice demonstrations along the lakefront on Friday, August 20, from 10 am to 2 pm.
The Air & Water Show is back.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will return on 8/21 and 8/22 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
Don’t miss this amazing display of precision, pride and grace from the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps. Stay tuned for details throughout the summer. https://t.co/Rh2DGcYMWP
— Archived: Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot (@mayorlightfoot) June 18, 2021
The statement from the Mayor’s Office reads that “The mission of the Blue Angels is to showcase the teamwork and professionalism of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach while inspiring a culture of excellence and service to the country. These free, new, and reimagined air show events are part of the Mayor’s “Open Chicago” initiative to safely and fully reopen the city.”
The release also stated that the best viewing locations for the “special solo demonstration by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels” will be along the lakefront between Oak Street and Fullerton Avenue.
Normally jump teams and parachuters like the Army Golden Knights and Navy Leap Frogs would perform with active-duty Navy SEALs and Special Warfare crew members free-falling from more than two miles above the ground. The annual aerobatic feats and stimulated rescue operations on Lake Michigan have attracted millions to lakefront beaches in the past but this year it is unlikely that these feats will be seen.
While the reimagined show will be very different to years gone by, last November Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events stated that there was no funding in the city’s 2021 budget for events of this sort so we’re pleased to see it return in any form.
The last time the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew over Chicago was to honor frontline health care workers during the statewide stay-at-home order back in May 2020.
You can find more information and frequent updates through summer here.
[Featured image from Shutterstock]