The 60th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show

The 60th Annual Chicago Air and Water Show, presented by Shell Oil Products and the City of Chicago, will take place August 18 and 19 from 10am to 3pm daily along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach serving as the show center.

The Chicago Air & Water Show is the largest FREE admission air and water exhibition of its kind in the United States. To mark the 60th year of the popular lakefront event, the show will feature a wide variety of military and civilian aerial demonstration teams with daredevil pilots performing their stunts in the skies above Chicago.

The program is the same both days (Saturday & Sunday and the run of show is decided by the pilots the day of the event. You can count on the headliners performing last. The Chicago Air & Water Show is proud to present the 2018 headliners: US Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights and the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs. A list of all the performers can be viewed here.

Residential Impact:
Although there are no planned street closures associated with this event within the 42nd Ward, residents should expect large crowds and heavy pedestrian traffic in the area. Rolling street closures outside of the 42nd ward can be expected on the following streets: Fullerton/Lake Shore Drive, Cannon Drive, Stockton Drive, North Avenue and LaSalle intersection, North Avenue and Clark Intersection, North Avenue and Lake Shore Drive Ramps.

The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) reminds those along the lakefront this weekend to expect increased crowds, parking restrictions and possible traffic delays as Chicago hosts the annual Air & Water Show.

The Chicago Air & Water Show is conducted in an extremely safe and conscientious way. Safety precautions are taken at all times before, during, and after the show. All planes take off and land at the Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Indiana with all pilots performing stunts over the water in a set safety area.  When a plane does fly over buildings, it is merely doing so in its flight path to return to the show area or the airport.

Alderman Reilly Reports:  8/17/18