Vrooooom!!! If you hate the thunderous roar of F/A-18 Super Hornet engines, now might be a good time to make other plans for next weekend, October 11-13, when the Blue Angels air show will top the bill at San Francisco’s Fleet Week.
[1]The air show officially takes place Friday through Sunday, from 3 to 4 p.m. but truly devoted fans can watch the planes take off, fly practice maneuvers, and land again at San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport (OAK) North Field, where the planes are based throughout the week.
“During practice sessions and the air show demonstrations throughout the event week, airport neighbors will experience an unusual level of aircraft activity and noise,” airport officials warned. They’ll officially notify you about the scheduled noise if you sign up for their community advisory notification list. You can also call the Noise Hotline at 510-563-6463.
How loud—and how fast—are those jets?
During their thrilling aerobatic maneuvers, the sound level of the F/A-18 Super Hornet engines has been estimated at around 100 to 110 decibels—which actually is “in the same general harm category as listening to music with your headphones at max volume,” according to an NPR radio station based in Seattle [2].
And those planes are fast. The F/A-18 can reach speeds just under Mach 2, almost twice the speed of sound or about 1,400 mph, according to the U.S. Navy [3], but the highest speed reached during the air shows is generally 700 mph. The maximum rate of climb of the F/A-18 is 30,000 feet per minute.
Prime seating for the air show
Prime seating for the Blue Angels air show is available on the Marina Green and on a few bay cruises, but you’ll have to buy a ticket—and you better hurry because they sell out quickly.
Marina Green [4]: Tickets range from $140 for “Premium Box Seats” on the waterfront (no shade) to $425 for “Flight Deck Club” seats with a club area where full buffet and complimentary beverages are served at umbrella tables and access to waterfront seating.
Red and White Fleet [5]: Friday and Saturday cruises are already sold out, but some Sunday tickets are still available at $105 for adults (21+), including two drink tickets; $65 for youth (ages 5-20); children under 4 are free. The cruise departs at 1:45 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. from Pier 43½.
Blue & Gold Fleet [6]: A limited number of tickets for Saturday and Sunday are available. Tickets are $105 for adults, $85 for military and seniors, $70 for children (ages 5-12); children under 5 are free. Includes box lunch from Boudin bakery. Cruises depart at 1:30 p.m. from Pier 39; please arrive by 12:45 p.m.
SS Jeremiah O’Brien [7]: The all-day cruise sails around San Francisco Bay, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, the San Francisco waterfront, the visiting Navy ships, and offers great views of the air show. Food and drink are complimentary, starting with coffee and donuts upon boarding. Tickets are $185 (age 17+); $125 for youth (ages 5-16), children under age 5 are free. Family tickets for up to two adults and two youth are $440. Purchase tickets for Saturday [8] or Sunday [9] online (links are separate for each day). The cruise boards at 9 a.m. at Pier 35 and returns at 5 p.m.
Take the ferry and watch from a pier
You don’t have to buy a fancy ticket to watch the air show. Just hop a ferry from Alameda and watch from the pier of your choice. Or leave a little later and watch the jets fly directly overhead as you cross the bay.
San Francisco Bay Ferry will be offering extra trips on Saturday and Sunday, October 12-13. See the special schedule online [10] and plan your timing accordingly.
To see the entire show from a mid-bay pier, take a ferry from Alameda’s Main Street station by 11:55 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday to allow time to walk to the pier of your choice and stake out a spot. Or leave at 2:10 p.m. and hopefully the Blue Angels will fly directly overhead past the ferry and then zoom over the Bay Bridge. Then watch the rest from the waterfront at the Ferry Building and get some good views as they circle Alcatraz and fly back to buzz around skyscrapers in the Financial District.
Parade of Ships and ship tours
San Francisco’s Parade of Ships is the largest on the West Coast, with the city’s fire boat spouting water in the air and crowds cheering as the fleet passes under the Golden Gate Bridge, past the Marina Green, and over to the Bay Bridge. Watch from anywhere along the waterfront on Friday, October 11, from 11 a.m. to noon.
Meanwhile, tour individual ships all week at Piers 27, 30/32, 35, and 15/17. Climb aboard the amphibious carriers, cutters, destroyers and cruisers docked at the Embarcadero and get a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the sailors serving in the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy.
All ship tours are free of charge. Tour lines are on a first come, first served basis. The schedule is as follows.
Wednesday, October 9
- Pier 27: US Navy LPD, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday, October 10
- Pier 27: US Navy LPD, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Pier 35: US Coast Guard Cutter, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Friday, October 11
- No Ship Tours
Saturday, October 12
- Pier 27: US Navy LPD, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Pier 30/32: US Navy LHA, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Pier 35: US Coast Guard Cutter, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Pier 15/17: Royal Canadian Navy Frigate, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 13
- Pier 27: US Navy LPD, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Pier 30/32: US Navy LHA, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Pier 35: US Coast Guard Cutter, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Pier 15/17: Royal Canadian Navy Frigate, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Monday, October 14
- Pier 27: US Navy LPD, 9 a.m. – noon
- Pier 30/32: US Navy LHA, 9 a.m. – noon
Full Fleet Week Schedule
Monday, October 7
- 4:30 p.m.: Navy Band, Woodwind Quintet, Sunset Library
Tuesday, October 8
- Noon: Navy Band, Woodwind Quintet, SF Zoo
- 1:30 p.m.: 1st MARDIV Woodwind Quintet, Salesforce Park
- 6 p.m.: Marine Band, Brass Band, Noe Valley Town Square
Wednesday, October 9
- 11 a.m.: Brass Band, CCSF Student Union Amphitheater
- Noon: 1st MARDIV Brass Band, Yerba Buena Gardens Stone Stage
- 12:30 p.m.: Woodwind Quintet, San Francisco VA Medical Center
- 5 p.m.: 1st MARDIV Woodwind Quintet, Conservatory at One Sansome
- 5 p.m.: Brass Band, Japantown Peace Plaza
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m: USAF Band of the Golden West, Pier 39
Thursday, October 10
- Noon: Woodwind Quintet, Ferry Building
- 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Brass Band & SF Pride Band, Castro, Jane Warner Plaza
- 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.: USAF Band of the Golden West, Pier 39
- 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: Honor Our Fallen concert, Herbst Theatre
Friday, October 11
- 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.:, Air Show
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Humanitarian Assistance Village, Marina Green
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m:, STEM Center, Marina Green
- 11 a.m. – noon: Parade of Ships
- Noon: Brass Band, Golden Gate Park Bandshell
- 4:30 p.m.: 1st MARDIV Ceremonial Band, Silent Drill Platoon & Diamondbacks, Union Square Plaza
- 4 p.m.: Woodwind Quintet, Park Branch Library
- 5 p.m.: Navy Band, Destroyers, Pier 39
- 6 p.m.: Marine Band, Ceremonial, Valencia Street
- 7 p.m.: Port Chicago 50, Greater Star Theater (Must purchase tickets)
Saturday, October 12
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Humanitarian Assistance Village, Marina Green
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: STEM Center, Marina Green
- 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.: Fleet Fest, Pier 30/32
- 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Air Show
- Noon: Navy Band- Brass Band, Ghirardelli Square
- 1 p.m.: Navy Band- Woodwind Quintet, Lakeside Landing
- 4 p.m.: Marine Band- Brass Band, West Portal Courtyard
- 5 p.m.: Navy Band- Destroyers, Pier 39 at The Embarcadero
- 7 p.m.: Port Chicago 50, Greater Star Theater (Must purchase tickets)
- 7:30 p.m.: 1st MARDIV Brass Band, Chinatown Night Market
Sunday, October 13
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Humanitarian Assistance Village, Marina Green
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: STEM Center, Marina Green
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: Fleet Fest, Pier 30/32
- 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Air Show
- Noon: US Naval Sea Cadet Corps Band of the West Division, Pier39
- 12:30 p.m.: 1st MARDIV Ceremonial Band & Bands
Monday, October 14
- 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: High School Band Challenge, Golden Gate Park Bandshell