San Francisco Fleet Week is one of the most highly-anticipated events on the city’s cultural calendar featuring a heart-racing Air Show heard and seen for miles in every direction. With a potential government shutdown on the horizon we weren’t sure if we’d get to see the Blue Angels fly this week, but we can now confirm that SF Fleet Week is indeed a go for 2023. Get ready to experience Fleet Week events from Oct. 2-10, 2023.
The Air Show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will happen on Oct. 6, 7, and 8. It runs from 10am-4pm on Friday and Saturday and 11am-4pm on Sunday, with the Blue Angels typically performing near the end. Best viewing for the Air Show is at Pier 39, Crissy Field, and Aquatic Park, but you can also enjoy a higher vantage point from Twin Peaks or Coit Tower. Of course, if you can make it onto a Bay cruise you’re in for a real treat from the water.
Other events include the following:
- Neighborhood concert series (Oct. 2-10 in Chinatown, Duboce Park, and West Portal)
- Veterans Art Exhibit (Oct. 2-10 at Academy of Art University’s Photo Gallery)
- Honor Our Fallen Concert (6pm on Oct. 5 at Herbst Theatre)
- Humanitarian Assistance Village (10am-4pm Oct. 6-8 at Marina Green)
- STEM Center (10am Oct. 6-8 at Marina Green)
- Parade of Ships (Oct. 7 along SF Waterfront)
- K9 Heroes (10am-2pm on Oct. 7 at Duboce Park)
- High School Band Challenge (1-4pm on Oct. 9 at Golden Gate Park Bandshell)
- Ship Tours (Date/time TBA at Piers 35, 30-32, and 19)
The Air Show is perhaps Fleet Week’s most highly anticipated event, and for good reason. Each year, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform a choreographed show between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, attracting fans from across the world. It’s the only air show in the U.S. to feature a commercial airliner, the United 777, doing a fully choreographed act. The Blue Angels themselves will be flying their new F-18 Super Hornets, a premium fighter aircraft that is sure to make a statement in the sky.
You’ll hear the Air Show from just about anywhere in the city, but some of the best places to watch from are Crissy Field, Twin Peaks, Aquatic Park, and anywhere around Fisherman’s Wharf.
Check out these highlights from previous years for a preview of what’s to come:
San Francisco Fleet Week has been a fixture on the Bay Area cultural calendar since 1981, when then-Senator Dianne Feinstein kicked off this celebration of the nation’s sea services. Feinstein continues to be an honorary co-chair of the event, which is now one of the biggest of its kind in the country. According to the Fleet Week website, the event generates $10 million annually for the city.
Learn more about San Francisco Fleet Week here, and be sure to mark your calendar for these awesome events happening from Oct. 2-10, 2023.