Blue Angels practice for fleet week show this weekend
SAN FRANCISCO - The roar of the Blue Angels aerobatic team was heard around San Francisco today as aviators with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps practice their routines in the skies above the city in preparation for their main events this weekend.
The 35th annual San Francisco Fleet Week celebration brings roughly a million visitors to the city, according to organizers.
The Fleet Week air show held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is best seen from Crissy Field, Marina Green, as well as anywhere that overlooks the water just east of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Along with the Blue Angels, other participants in the air show include the Patriots Jet Team, Navy Leap Frogs, the U.S. Coast Guard, United Airlines, and Team Oracle, among others.
The air show begins each day at 12:30 p.m. and finishes with the Blue Angels, which begin their aerobatics at about 3 p.m.
This year, Fleet Week will also include the first-ever Fleet Fest at Pier 80 in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The family-friendly event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday will include veteran hiring events, veteran art shows, food trucks and live music, according to event organizers.
Six active naval vessels will be docked along the Port of San Francisco at piers 15/17, 30/32 and 80.
Ship tours are offered on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., event organizers said.
All visiting ships will leave the city on Tuesday.
This year's Fleet Week isn't all fun and games. It combines the air shows and parade of ships with critical disaster response and emergency preparedness training.
On Monday, San Francisco Fleet Week, the city's Department of Emergency Management and the Port of San Francisco partnered in a training exercise with the U.S. Navy.
Military and city departments are taking the opportunity to work together on disaster capabilities, training exercises, senior leader talks, community relations projects, and Bark at the Park, which features military and civilian K-9 demonstrations in Duboce Park.