Pacific Airshow lands blimp in Huntington Beach, announces this year’s lineup
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The Pacific Airshow went big to announce the lineup for its 10th anniversary on Friday morning.
It’s hard to get much bigger than the Goodyear Blimp.
The blimp landed on the sand in Huntington Beach near Lifeguard Tower 11. Out stepped Pacific Airshow director Kevin Elliott, Huntington Beach Mayor Casey McKeon and Visit Huntington Beach President and CEO John Urdi, among others.
Elliott said it was only the second time that a Goodyear Blimp has ever landed on the beach, the first time being in Santa Monica in 1940. It was a spectacle, which is what the three-day show will bring when it returns Oct. 2, along with a chance to connect with friends and family.
“Human connection is hard in our tech-driven, busy lives that we all live,” Elliott said. “I like to think that Pacific Airshow gives us an opportunity to create those moments of connection that we sometimes miss in our daily hustle and bustle. While aviation is super inspiring and electrifying, when you marry that with one of the most beautiful beaches and the camaraderie of all of us being together, that’s where Pacific Airshow’s magic really comes from.”
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will be back to headline the show, which has tickets on sale now.
“The Thunderbirds might be the only people who like Huntington Beach more than Casey,” Elliott quipped, adding that they have stamped Huntington Beach as their home show.
The Canadian Snowbirds will return, and the NASA F-5 Formation Team will also make an appearance. There will also be the Air Force F-35A demo team, the U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler Airshow Team and the U.S. Navy F/A-18 West Coast Rhino Demo, among others.
Elliott said other major performers are still to be announced. The show will also introduce a new sports bar with a two-story viewing tower, and Fox Sports coverage on the big screen.
Since taking over production of the show, Elliott has expanded it to the Gold Coast of Australia. Last August, he also got his pilot’s license, he said.
McKeon called the air show the city’s premiere event of the year, adding that flying in the blimp was like being in a big boat in the sky.
“We have huge concerts now, big events that are coming to this area because of what the air show did,” McKeon said. “They created the template.”
Organizers are undoubtedly hoping for better luck this year, after battling a marine layer for much of the weekend in 2024. Then, last year, the show lost the participation of U.S. military planes due to a government shutdown.
Friday’s event took place a day after the California Fair Political Practices Commission announced it had fined McKeon and four other Huntington Beach elected officials, for failing to disclose VIP passes they received to the 2022 Pacific Airshow.
