Jacksonville Sea & Sky Air Show Won't Return Until 2027

 

For the first time in years, Jacksonville Beach is staring at a gap in its skyline tradition.
After a whirlwind 2025 season and a last-minute federal government shutdown that grounded the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the City of Jacksonville has confirmed it will be 2027 before the full Jacksonville Sea & Sky Air Show returns to the beachfront.

The good news: when it comes back, it comes back big.
The Blue Angels are already locked in to headline the 2027 show over Jacksonville Beach on October 23–24, 2027.

What’s actually happening?

Here’s the simple version:

• No Sea & Sky Air Show at Jacksonville Beach in 2026.
  
• Sea & Sky returns to Jacksonville Beach in 2027, with the Blue Angels back over the ocean.
  
• In the meantime, the Blue Angels will headline the NAS Jax Air Show at Naval Air Station Jacksonville on October 17–18, 2026.
  

So if your mental calendar was “Beach show every other year,” it’s now:

• 2025: Sea & Sky at Jacksonville Beach (Blue Angels canceled late because of the federal government shutdown; the event continued with a modified lineup).
  
• 2026: NAS Jax Air Show at the base, not at the beach.
  
• 2027: Sea & Sky returns to Jacksonville Beach, with the Blue Angels headlining again.
  

How we got here: from “no show” to shutdown to 2027

The story behind this gap is messy, and honestly kind of instructive if you care about how big events get planned.

1. Jacksonville Beach originally lost the 2025 slot

Back in 2024, the Blue Angels’ national schedule came out with no Jacksonville Beach Sea & Sky Air Show in 2025. City officials said the team chose a different city for the desired date, and that there would not be a 2025 beach air show.

At the time, the City of Jacksonville said it would start working early to secure the Blue Angels and civilian pilots for a 2027 Sea & Sky show instead. 

2. Then plans shifted, and 2025 Sea & Sky returned

By late 2024 and into 2025, communication from the city and local media shifted toward a 2025 Sea & Sky event going forward at Jacksonville Beach, with the Blue Angels expected to participate.

That set the stage for a busy 2025 coastal air show season; until national politics intervened.

3. The 2025 federal government shutdown changed everything

In October 2025, a federal government shutdown forced the Blue Angels to cancel performances, including their appearance at Jacksonville Beach.

The City of Jacksonville confirmed that, because of the shutdown, the Blue Angels and the Air Force Viper Demo Team would no longer perform at the 2025 Sea & Sky Air Show, and the lineup had to be rebuilt around other performers.

So Jacksonville Beach residents and businesses did all the work; beach prep, staffing, traffic planning, without the signature Blue Angels centerpiece that usually anchors the event.

4. 2027 becomes the new “big circle” on the calendar

Fast-forward to December 9, 2025.

The City of Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, and the City of Jacksonville Beach jointly announce that:

• The Jacksonville Sea & Sky Air Show will return October 23–24, 2027,
  
• The Blue Angels are officially on the 2027 national air show calendar for Jacksonville Beach, and
  
• The 2027 show will again be a free, family-friendly over-the-ocean event with a mix of military and civilian performers.
  

Both Mayor Donna Deegan and Jacksonville Beach Mayor Chris Hoffman emphasized the same themes: military partnership, community spirit, and using the event to showcase the Beaches to visitors and residents alike.

What this means if you live, work, or run a business at the Beaches

Between now and 2027, you’ll see two very different types of opportunities:

1. The “off year” at the beach (2026)

With no Sea & Sky in 2026, Jacksonville Beach gets:

• A break from the traffic and logistics of a full air show weekend.
  
• A chance for hotels, bars, and restaurants to plan their own fall anchor events instead of reacting to the air show calendar.
  

If you’re a business owner or community organizer, 2026 is the year to:

• Test your own fall festivals, live music weekends, or themed beach events that can complement (or partially replace) the typical air show crowd.
  
• Use the extra breathing room to plan staffing, parking, and promotions for 2027, when hotel demand and restaurant volume will spike.
  

2. A huge runway to prepare for 2027

Because the dates are already locked in, October 23–24, 2027, you can treat the 2027 Sea & Sky weekend almost like a mini-Super Bowl for Jacksonville Beach:

• Hotels & vacation rentals:
  

• Start thinking about minimum stays, special packages, and loyalty offers now.
  
• Consider bundles that appeal to aviation fans (viewing decks, early check-in on practice day, late checkout on Sunday).
  

• Bars & restaurants:
  

• Design signature “Blue Angels” or “Sea & Sky” menus, drinks, or brunch offerings you can test in 2026 and refine before 2027.
  
• Build staff playbooks so everyone knows what to expect on high-volume days: reservations vs. walk-ins, line management, to-go vs. dine-in mix, etc.
  

• Local residents:
  

• Mark the dates and start thinking through where you want to watch from, park, or avoid, depending on how you feel about large events.
  
• If you host friends and family for the air show, 2027 is the year to plan a full weekend experience: Friday arrival, Saturday show, Sunday brunch, maybe a Monday “decompression” beach day.
  

Where to see the Blue Angels in the meantime

Even though Sea & Sky is skipping 2026, Northeast Florida doesn’t have to wait that long to hear the roar of Super Hornets.

NAS Jax Air Show – October 17–18, 2026

• Location: Naval Air Station Jacksonville
  
• Dates: October 17–18, 2026
  
• Cost: Free admission and free parking
  
• Schedule (current plan):
  

• Gates open 9:00 a.m.
  
• Show begins 11:00 a.m.
  
• Blue Angels scheduled as the grand finale around mid-afternoon.
  

For families and fans used to watching from the sand, NAS Jax is a different kind of experience:

• More static aircraft displays on the ground.
  
• A base-centric layout with designated seating, concessions, and kids’ zones.
  
• A chance to lean into the “birthplace of the Blue Angels” story, since the team was founded at NAS Jacksonville in 1946.
  

If you want to keep the tradition alive year-to-year, a simple rhythm emerges:

• 2026: Head to NAS Jax.
  
• 2027: Head back to Jacksonville Beach for Sea & Sky.
  

Planning ahead for the 2027 Jacksonville Sea & Sky Air Show

Here’s how to turn today’s announcement into practical planning instead of last-minute scrambling.

1. Lock in the dates now

Put October 23–24, 2027 on your calendar with a real label, “Sea & Sky weekend” or “Blue Angels at the beach.” Treat it like a holiday. 

2. Use official channels for updates

Details like performer lineups, parking maps, and shuttle routes will change as we get closer. The most reliable sources will be:

• The City of Jacksonville’s Office of Sports & Entertainment news releases.
  
• The official Sea & Sky Air Show event page, which already lists the 2027 dates and confirms the Blue Angels as a featured act.
  

Bookmark those now. When we get into late 2026 and 2027, that’s where you’ll see the serious details: road closures, shuttle stops, ADA access, viewing zones, and more.

3. Think in “zones,” not just “views”

For 2027, think less in terms of “best single spot” and more in terms of zones that fit different goals:

• Families with young kids: closer to Seawalk Pavilion and official activity areas, easier access to restrooms and food.
  
• Serious photographers: farther north or south from the central hub to avoid dense crowds and get cleaner sightlines.
  
• Locals who want the vibe, not the chaos: back-of-beach locations, rooftop decks, or homes with partial views, plus planned exits that avoid the immediate post-show crush.
  

Planning these zones early means less frustration later.

Why this all still matters for Jacksonville

The Sea & Sky Air Show isn’t just a “cool weekend at the beach.” It’s:

• A visible symbol of Jacksonville’s long-standing relationship with the U.S. Navy, from NAS Jax to Mayport to the Blue Angels’ origin story.
  
• A major economic driver for Jacksonville Beach, packing hotels, restaurants, bars, and short-term rentals.
  
• A “memory maker” for families, kids who watch the Blue Angels at six years old and later enlist, study aerospace, or just fall in love with aviation.
  

So yes, the break until 2027 is a big deal.
But it’s a planned break now, not a surprise one. And with the Blue Angels back on the 2027 calendar and NAS Jax on deck for 2026, the region still has a clear, aviation-heavy runway ahead.

If you live here, this is your chance to plan smarter, promote earlier, and make the next Sea & Sky weekend in 2027 the strongest one yet.