Chicago will see a "new and reimagined" air show this summer in place of the annual Air and Water Show, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Friday.
The new event will be a special solo demonstration by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels along the lakefront from 12 to 1 p.m. on Aug. 21 and 22, Lightfoot's office said. Practice runs will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 20.
Lightfoot's office noted that the best locations to watch the event will be between Oak Street and Fullerton Avenue.
Last November, Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events revealed that there was no funding in the city's 2021 budget for events like the Air and Water Show or the Taste of Chicago because the department is funded by revenue reliant on tourism dollars, which fell last year as the coronavirus pandemic shuttered travel and in-person gatherings.
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The pandemic also forced the cancellation of the Air and Water Show last summer, though in early May, the Blue Angels flew over Chicago to honor frontline health care workers as the city and state of Illinois remained under a stay-at-home order.
The new air show event is part of Chicago's continued reopening plans as the city has now lifted nearly all restrictions and capacity limits put into place to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
