Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

Civics & Democracy

How the government shutdown is taking the wind out of the Huntington Beach airshow

A crowd of people are out of focus as a large plane flies towards them in the air. The ocean can be seen in the background on a cloudy, overcast day.
A glipse from air shows past: A plane maneuvers over the Huntington Beach coastline and crowds stare in awe.
(
Wally Skalij
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

The annual airshow in Huntington Beach will take place this weekend despite the loss of about half the scheduled performers because of the government shutdown.

Why would the shutdown matter?

Airshows tend to heavily feature military hotshots. Consequently, about half the Pacific Airshow’s 2025 lineup has been grounded because of the Congressional impasse that led to the shutdown.

What are we going to miss?

The Airforce Thunderbirds, U.S. Air Force Special Warfare Exhibition Team, and North American Aerospace Defense Command Interdiction Demo, among others. But there are still plenty of private performers, plus Canadian and British government teams. You can see the full lineup here.

Support for LAist comes from
Listen 0:44
Boo! How the government shutdown is ruining part of this weekend's OC beach fun

Why the show is controversial

The Pacific Airshow has had a mixed run in Huntington Beach of late. It got canceled after an oil spill off the coast in 2021. And last year, it was so foggy one day that the organizer gave ticketholders a voucher for this year’s show.

All the while, the airshow has become increasingly controversial. For one thing, Huntington Beach taxpayers are now essentially subsidizing the show to the tune of millions, despite city budget shortfalls.

But, for fans, the show is an annual treat of high-flying acrobatics and patriotism — although this year most planes are repping British Commonwealth countries.

How to watch

If you want to be right in the middle of the action, or get a cabana with bar service, you can purchase tickets. You can also watch the show free from the beach.

Support for LAist comes from

If you’re coming from far away, consider strapping bikes to your vehicle, parking further away, and riding to the beach. There, you can use the city’s free bike valet service.

The show runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from approximately 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist