The Chicago Air & Water Show is just a few days away, with this year’s event taking place earlier than normal due to the city hosting the upcoming 2024 Democratic National Convention.
The Air & Water Show, known as the “largest free admission event of its kind,” will take place this Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday Aug. 11, with practice set to take place Friday, Aug. 9.
The event will be headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, who did not perform at the show in 2023, and the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights.
According to officials, The Blue Angels “are the oldest flight demonstration squadron in the U.S., having first flown in 1946.”
While this year’s official event takes place officially on Saturday and Sunday, those around in Chicago can get a sneak peek of the performances ahead of the show.
All of the show’s performers for Saturday and Sunday are slated to fly the same show performed on the weekend on Friday morning and afternoon, allotted as a rehearsal day.
While the performances will be the same that patrons will see on the weekend, there will not be an announcer present for the rehearsal day.
Similar to the official show on Saturday and Sunday, performances are scheduled to last from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.