Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show 2026 with Kids: A Parent's Guide to NAS Pensacola

If your kids point at every airplane that flies overhead, this is the one. The Blue Angels are coming home to Pensacola, and the whole show is free.

What is the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show?

The NAS Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show is a two-day air show on the flight line at Naval Air Station Pensacola, the home base of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Blue Angels. The lineup includes aerobatic performers, aircraft on display along the flight line, hands-on S.T.E.A.M. activities, food and souvenir booths, and a kids' fun zone, with the Blue Angels as the grand finale each day.

It's big. The organizers expect more than 300,000 people across the two days and call it Northwest Florida's largest weekend event. This year's theme, "200 Years Forged Here," marks the base's 200th birthday.

Dates, times and location

• Dates: Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7, 2026
• Gates open: 8:00 AM both days
• Show starts: 9:30 AM
• Blue Angels fly: around 2:00 PM, as the last performers of the day
• Where: NAS Pensacola. The Main Gate (south end of Navy Boulevard) and the West Gate (south end of Blue Angel Parkway) both open to visitors at 8 AM.

The show schedule is the same both days, so pick whichever day works best for nap schedules. Low clouds or high winds can change the performers' acts and the schedule.

Cost and tickets

General admission, parking and "blanket seating" are free. Blanket seating means an open paved area where you stand or sit on your own blankets or lawn chairs. Paid reserved seating and VIP areas are available on the official site if you'd like a guaranteed seat. Each seating ticket is good for one day only.

Important: ID and security rules

This is an active military base, so the rules are stricter than at a typical fair:

• Bring a REAL ID. Per news reports, adults need a REAL ID to enter the base; check the official site before you go.
• All bags are inspected, and vehicles may be searched before entering the base.
• Not allowed: backpacks and most large bags (including camera bags), coolers and ice chests, outside food and drinks, pets (service animals excepted), drones, bikes, scooters, skateboards, pop-up tents, and weapons of any kind, including pocket knives and multi-tools.
• Allowed: small purses and diaper bags, folding chairs and blankets, strollers and non-motorized wagons, hand-held cameras and phones.
• Food exception for little ones: non-glass baby bottles and small snacks for young children are allowed. Everything else, including water, is sold on site.

Tips for going with toddlers and little kids

Protect little ears. The organizers strongly encourage hearing protection for everyone, especially young children. If your kids have earmuffs, pack them. Ear plugs are also sold at the show, but toddler-size earmuffs are a lot easier to keep on a small head.

Plan for sun and wind. General admission is under open sky, and the official FAQ notes it can be windy on the tarmac, with an average November temperature around 63 degrees. Layers, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen are your friends. Umbrellas are discouraged because they block other people's view.

Bring the stroller or wagon. Both are allowed, and with this many people you may walk a long way from parking. Just keep them out of the aisles in seating areas. No one rents strollers at the show, so bring your own.

Pack light, but pack smart. You can only bring a diaper bag or small purse, so think about what fits: snacks for the kids, a bottle, wipes, sunscreen, ear protection and a change of clothes.

Give yourself extra time. Expect heavy traffic and long security lines, and remember you can't drop people off at the flight line gates. Security will direct you to the closest open lot, then to shuttle lots as parking fills. With little ones, it's generally easier to arrive early, find a spot and settle in than to hurry in right before the Blue Angels fly.

Bring a little cash. Some vendors take cards and some don't. There is an ATM on site.

Have a plan for the finale. The Blue Angels fly last, around 2 PM. If your toddler usually naps midday, a mid-morning arrival and a stroller nap might be the way to make it to the big moment.

More kid-friendly vehicle events in the Panhandle

Make it a weekend, or save these for later in the month:

• Panama City Touch-A-Truck (Panama City), Saturday, November 7. Free.
• Touch-A-Truck at Jack McLean Community Center (Tallahassee), Saturday, November 7. Free.
• Forgotten Coast Freedom Festival Air Show (Apalachicola), Saturday, November 21.

Find your next truck event

See the full Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show listing for dates, pricing and directions.

Truck Events for Kids gathers touch-a-trucks, air shows, train rides, monster trucks and more in one place, so you don't have to dig through a dozen Facebook pages. Browse upcoming events or see what's on the calendar. Then sign up for Event Alerts at the bottom of our homepage, and we'll email you when new events are added near you.

Have fun, and wave at the jets!