2025 Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale: Guide to breathtaking stunts, aircraft, tickets, parking

Yahoo

25-04-2025

Touting a fresh new name, Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale, the supersonic thriller once called the Fort Lauderdale Air Show, is going much leaner — and meaner — for this year's free spectacle returning May 3-4.
The number of elite aircraft on this tour has been nearly halved from 13 performers to seven, headlined by the return of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the sextet of crowd-pleasing, yellow-blue blurs that scream across South Florida skies over Fort Lauderdale beach in their sleek F/A-18 Super Hornets.
The Blue Angels will be soaring alongside the mighty F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, the NORAD F-15 Intercept, SOCOM Para-Commandos, the Florida ANG F-15 Eagles, a P-51 Mustang and retired Air Force pilot John Black, who will each perform on both days of the event.
This year's abbreviated bill of aerial daredevilry came down to scheduling conflicts, a blip that festival spokesperson Chris Dirato promises will not be repeated in 2026.
'It's an aberration, frankly,' Dirato says. 'It happens sometimes. Some teams couldn't slot Fort Lauderdale into their schedule, but it won't be the norm going forward.'
However, the event's name change was very much intentional, Dirato says. The tour has been known as the Air Dot Show Tour for at least two years, and branding each stop with 'Dot' is a reflection of its growth into new markets. This year, it added Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Cocoa Beach, joining its usual stops in Orlando; Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia; Ocean City, Maryland; and Orange County, N.Y.
'The new name still has the city in it, so I think fans will still make the connection,' Dirato says.
The aerial bash comes at an auspicious time, arriving the same weekend when combustion engines are being pushed to their extremes all over South Florida. This year's Air Dot Show just so happens to coincide with the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix (May 2-4) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and the Beachfront Grand Prix Festival, a pit stop for racing simulators, live music and speed at Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Oceanside Park, down the beach from Air Dot Show's flight action.
The gathering area around Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale spans the sandy stretch of beach along State Road A1A between Northeast 19th Street south to roughly Las Olas Boulevard, with Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (3109 E. Sunrise Blvd.) serving as the nucleus of the action.
As always, in-person admission is free for spectators, but be prepared to splurge if you want decent seats. Drop Zone beach passes, a prime viewing area where you can set up chairs and umbrellas on the shore between Sunrise and Northeast 14th Court, cost $26 to $37.50 online (until midnight May 2) and include access to portable restrooms and early 9 a.m. admission.
Need extra elbow room? The Sand Boxes are a section of the Drop Zone with 10-by-12-foot private boxes ($299) on the sand for up to four people, and come with a reserved parking pass, re-entry wristbands, separate restrooms and food and drink concessions available for purchase. (You'll still have to BYO umbrellas and chairs, though.)
For those seeking the comfort of beachfront pampering, snag Flight Line Club VIP tickets ($169-$199 per person), which ups the ante with a personal beach tent, catered lunch (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.), complimentary beach chairs and a parking pass at Birch State Park.
Prefer a bird's-eye view? Arguably the best vantage point is the VIP Penthouse ($599; Saturday sold out) on the rooftop balcony of the Pelican Grand (2000 N. Ocean Blvd.), which includes an air-conditioned bathroom, valet parking, open bar and bites.
Backup option: Get there early to watch the Air Show for free from the patio at McSorley's Beach Pub & Rooftop (837 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.), or spend $50 minimum on food and beverage for rooftop access. Visit mcsorleysftl.com.
Backup backup option: Another panoramic viewing perch is Nubé, the swanky rooftop restaurant and lounge on the 26th floor of the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort (505 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.). It comes with a premium open bar and a buffet table, so you'll hardly mind that the hotel is on the southern end of the flight zone. Tickets: $300. Visit nuberooftop.com.
For extra ticketing info: Email [e-mail] or call 954-241-7937.
Previewing (and hearing, practically no matter where you are in Fort Lauderdale) the Blue Angels and other jets practice their barrel rolls and Delta formations is a pre-show tradition on the Friday before air show weekend. Schedules are still being firmed up, but check Facebook.com/airdotshow and Instagram.com/airdotshow for flight updates from organizers.
U.S. Navy Blue Angels: Grounded in Pensacola during the offseason, the Blue Angels are known for precision flying their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, landing atop each other and flying in the six-jet Delta formation.
U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor Demo Team: Among the most advanced fighter jets in the world, the stealthy, sleek Raptor can cruise at supersonic speeds (up to Mach 1.5), climb vertically and stop in mid-air.
U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Team: Better known as the Para-Commandos, these paratroopers are composed of volunteers from every military branch.
P-51 Mustang Demo: Pilot Scott 'Scooter' Yoak will fly a North American Aviation P-51 Mustang, a single-seat, fighter-bomber used notably in World War II and the Korean War.
Florida ANG F-15 Eagles: Although pushing a half-century old, these twin-engine tactical fighters have over 100 victories and zero losses in aerial combat.
NORAD F-15 Intercept Demo: Imagine a civilian aircraft has just entered restricted airspace. In this demo, a pair of U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle fighter jets will simulate a real-world response to such an intruder by executing escort maneuvers and guiding the rogue aircraft out of the area.
Coast Guard SAR Demo: This search-and-rescue crew will simulate a water rescue demonstration 300 feet offshore. Rescue swimmers will dive from a helicopter hovering over a person in distress, then hoist the rescued swimmer into the helicopter.
As usual, State Road A1A is expected to be closed between Sunrise Boulevard and Northeast 19th Street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, so find alternate routes if commuting. (The Sunrise-A1A intersection will technically be open, but be prepared for heavy congestion.) A checkpoint for residents living on the Birch Park Finger Streets will be posted at Northeast 20th Street.
One suggestion: Park at The Galleria mall on Sunrise Boulevard and cross the Intracoastal to the beach. Alternately, there are many parking lots, garages and metered spaces near the beach between Oakland Park Boulevard and Southeast 17th Street.
For locals, we recommend the Water Taxi, offering weekend pick-ups and drop-offs at every stop including Birch State Park. It's $75 and passes are valid all day from Friday through Sunday, May 2-4. Visit watertaxi.com.
WHAT: Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale
WHEN: 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, May 3-4 (gates open 9 a.m.)
WHERE: Fort Lauderdale beach, north and south around Sunrise Boulevard
COST: Free to watch; $26-$599 for preferred seat packages
INFORMATION: 954-241-7937; Air.Show