What To Know About This Year's Cherry Festival Air Show

The 100th annual National Cherry Festival kicks off this coming Saturday, July 4, and one of the premiere events on tap for the weekend is the Cherry Festival’s beloved air show. Here’s what to expect from this year’s show, from the aircraft involved to the scheduling details.

The planes: As previously reported, this year won’t see the return of the United States Navy Blue Angels, who are obligated elsewhere for the 250th anniversary of American independence. Instead, this year’s air show will be headlined by the U.S. Air Force Viper F16 Demo Team, a cadre of appropriately-festive red, white, and blue fighter jets (pictured).

Also winging their way to Traverse City for the air show are the West Coast Rhino Demo team, a U.S. Navy demonstration squad, as well as representation from the Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, the Michigan Army National Guard, and more. A full rundown of military aircraft can be found here, while details about civilian air show acts is here.

The schedule: While some people love the roaring sound of fighter jets blasting through the skies, others prefer to plan ahead for the noise, whether for the sake of their work schedules, for parenting reasons, or for sensitive pets or family members. To lend a hand, The Ticker asked Cherry Festival Communications Director Mandy DePuy what this week will bring in terms of pre-weekend practice sessions.

“Planes should start arriving on Thursday, but no formal practice is slated for that day,” DePuy shares. “They may do a circle and arrival upon landing, but that should be it for Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the practice and air show times are 1-4pm.”

The Friday practice session is described on the Cherry Festival website as “a dress rehearsal for the main event” that gives “the participating aircrew a chance to familiarize themselves with the aerobatic box and fine-tune their performances for the Saturday and Sunday shows.”

Additionally, DePuy notes that Saturday evening’s Fourth of July “firework night extravaganza” will involve “two smaller planes flying with pyrotechnics during the firework and drone show.”

The meet-and-greet: As usual, the Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City will host a free “open ramp” event this year, to provide a chance for people to meet the pilots behind the air show and see the aircraft up close. This year’s open ramp is scheduled for Friday, July 3 from 5-8pm.