The 2021 Pacific Airshow
The long awaited Pacific Airshow was back for 3 days in Huntington Beach, October 1st – 3rd. The much anticipated Air Show brought aviation fans to Huntington Beach from all over the globe. The Pacific Airshow line up is the best line up the west coast has to offer and the 2021 Pacific Airshow Line up was one of the best ones yet. This year the Thunderbirds Flight Demonstration Team was added to the airshow line up. This was a rare opportunity for airshow fans to see three North American Flight Demonstration Teams performing at the same airshow for the first time in 20 years. This was also the first time the United States Navy Blue Angels have flown their F-18 Super Hornets at the Pacific Air Show.
With The Canadian Snowbirds on the schedule, The Red Bull Air Force and many more, the Pacific Airshow has assembled the largest line up of military and civilian performers of any airshow in U.S. history. This year, the Pacific Airshow started the weekend off with the Afterburner Music Festival shortly after Fridays flying events. The Music Festival kicked off featuring a concert by The Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar and the Circle. Saturday’s feature concert was Country Artist Sam Hunt. After 2 days of great flying and events, bad news came early Sunday morning. The Sunday airshow had been cancelled. At some point during Saturdays Airshow performance, an offshore oil platform pipeline was ruptured, sending 126,000 gallons of oil in to the ocean. For safety reasons, the decision was made to close the beach, including the area which the Pacific Airshow was being held. The City’s public safety officials confirm that 1.5 million people saw the airshow from Huntington Beach on Saturday alone, breaking every attendance record in the city’s history.
This has to be a first in airshow history for a show to be cancelled because of an oil spill in the ocean. Since its inception in 2016, the Pacific Airshow has twice been named Civilian Airshow of the Year by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and most recently was named among the Top 3 in 2021 Best Air Shows by USA Today’s 10Best. The event has become the cornerstone of the fall calendar for residents and visitors from as far away as Europe and Asia, while delivering a more than $100 million economic impact to the City of Huntington Beach, County of Orange and Southern California.
In only five years, the Pacific Airshow has been twice named Civilian Airshow of the Year by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and most recently was named among the Top 3 in 2021 Best Air Shows by USA Today’s 10Best. The event has become the cornerstone of the fall calendar for residents and visitors from as far away as Europe and Asia, while delivering a more than $100 million economic impact to the City of Huntington Beach, County of Orange and Southern California.
