San Francisco Fleet Week 2026: Blue Angels Dates, Ship Tours and Full Schedule
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Image credit: U.S. Navy photo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
In brief
San Francisco's 45th annual Fleet Week runs October 4–12, 2026, with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels headlining air shows over the bay on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 9–11, after sitting out 2025 because of a federal government shutdown. Free ship tours, a parade of warships under the Golden Gate Bridge and military band concerts round out the week, according to the Navy's official Fleet Week site and local news coverage.
Dates and the Blue Angels' return
San Francisco Fleet Week 2026, the 45th edition of the event, runs from October 4 through October 12, according to NBC Bay Area and the U.S. Navy's official Fleet Week site, navyweek.org. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are back as the headline act after being grounded for the 2025 event by a federal government shutdown, Hoodline and NBC Bay Area reported.
The 2026 aerial lineup pairs the Blue Angels' F/A-18 Super Hornets with a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II demonstration team and a U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor demonstration team, according to Hoodline. Blue Angels practice flights are scheduled for Thursday, October 8, with the public air shows following Friday through Sunday, NBC Bay Area reported.
Air show, parade of ships and free ship tours
The Blue Angels fly on three consecutive days — Friday, October 9; Saturday, October 10; and Sunday, October 11 — in the airspace between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, NBC Bay Area reported, citing a daily flying window of roughly noon to 4 p.m. with the Blue Angels typically taking off around 3 p.m. A parade of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard vessels sails under the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday morning, October 9, from 11 a.m. to noon, according to ABC7 News and NBC Bay Area.
Free public ship tours open at Piers 27 and 35 starting Wednesday, October 7, and continue through the week, ABC7 News and Hoodline reported; the Navy's official site lists additional tour stops at Piers 30/32 and 15/17. Navyweek.org states that adults need a government-issued photo ID, large bags are not permitted, and closed-toe shoes are recommended. Watching from the public waterfront is free; only reserved seating in premium viewing areas carries a cost, according to navyweek.org.
San Francisco Fleet Week 2026 — key dates
Date
Day
What happens
Oct. 5
Sunday
Fleet Week kicks off with a military swearing-in ceremony at Pier 30, led by Mayor Daniel Lurie (NBC Bay Area)
Oct. 7
Wednesday
Free ship tours open at Piers 27 and 35 (ABC7 News, Hoodline)
Oct. 8
Thursday
Blue Angels practice flights (NBC Bay Area)
Oct. 9
Friday
Parade of ships, 11 a.m.–noon; first public Blue Angels air show, roughly noon–4 p.m. (ABC7 News, NBC Bay Area)
Oct. 10
Saturday
Blue Angels air show; Fleet Fest at Fisherman's Wharf; K9 Heroes event at Duboce Park (SFist)
Oct. 11
Sunday
Final Blue Angels air show; Fleet Fest continues (SFist)
Oct. 12
Monday
Final ship tours; Fleet Week concludes (navyweek.org)
Bands, Fleet Fest and other events
Beyond the bay, free performances by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps musicians are scheduled at neighborhood venues including Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Golden Gate Park and West Portal, SFist reported. Fleet Fest, a weekend street festival at Fisherman's Wharf with food vendors, live music and family activities, runs Saturday and Sunday, and a K9 Heroes event honoring military working dogs is planned for Duboce Park on Saturday, according to SFist.
Weather: wind, possible fog and a sharp cooldown
Bay Area temperatures are forecast to drop from the triple digits inland to the 70s, and to the upper 50s and low 60s along the coast, by the Fleet Week weekend, Yahoo News reported, citing National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Flynn. Northwest winds of up to 30 mph are expected to pick up Friday afternoon and peak Saturday before easing Sunday; forecasters also noted a southerly swell producing 10- to 12-foot waves. As of the forecast, no wind advisory was in effect, a threshold that requires sustained winds of at least 39 mph, and the National Weather Service said it was coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard on safety.
Why the Blue Angels sat out in 2025
A federal government shutdown halted all U.S. military participation in the 2025 Fleet Week, forcing organizers to turn to an international partner to keep the air show going: Canada's Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds headlined instead of the Blue Angels, according to Hoodline and NBC Bay Area. With no shutdown in effect this year, full U.S. military participation has been restored, including the swearing-in ceremony that opened the 2026 event.
Young people from San Francisco and across the Bay Area will raise their right hand and take an oath to serve the United States of America.
— San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, quoted by NBC Bay Area
That ceremony took place Sunday, October 5, at Pier 30, where Lurie officiated for the first time as recruits from across the Bay Area took the oath to serve in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, NBC Bay Area reported. Hoodline reported that organizers describe Fleet Week as functioning beyond spectacle, serving also as a joint military-civilian disaster-preparedness exercise, and cited an estimated regional economic benefit of more than $200 million.
Questions
When is San Francisco Fleet Week 2026 and when do the Blue Angels fly?
Fleet Week runs October 4–12, 2026. The Blue Angels fly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 9–11, roughly noon to 4 p.m. over the bay between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, typically taking off around 3 p.m., according to NBC Bay Area and navyweek.org.
Are the ship tours free, and where are they held?
Yes. Free public ship tours open at Piers 27 and 35 starting Wednesday, October 7, with additional stops at Piers 30/32 and 15/17 listed by the Navy's official Fleet Week site, which also requires adults to bring a government-issued photo ID.
Will wind or fog disrupt the 2026 air shows?
Forecasters expected northwest winds up to 30 mph on Friday and Saturday with a sharp cooldown and a southerly swell, though no wind advisory was in effect as of the forecast, Yahoo News reported citing the National Weather Service; Sunday was expected to be calmer.
Why weren't the Blue Angels at Fleet Week in 2025?
A federal government shutdown halted all U.S. military participation that year, so organizers brought in Canada's Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds to headline the air show instead, according to Hoodline and NBC Bay Area.
Does it cost money to watch Fleet Week?
Watching from the public waterfront is free; only reserved seating in premium viewing areas carries a cost, according to the Navy's official Fleet Week site.
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