The U.S. Navy Blue Angels gave Pensacola Beach another series of air shows to remember this weekend.
Pensacola Beach Air Show events ran from Wednesday to Saturday and marked the team’s 80th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Fans braved temperatures in excess of 100 degrees and swarms of jellyfish to show their support for the hometown Blue Angels.
It seemed that the show might be marred by controversy Wednesday after a pilot made a “low pass” over the crowd watching its annual “Breakfast with the Blues” kickoff event. The incident drew national attention, but the community and the country quickly galvanized around the Blue Angels and the perfomances otherwise went off in spectacular fashion.
Here are all the highlights from the Air show weekend.
Saturday’s Pensacola Beach Air Show highlights
Follow how all the Saturday Blue Angels Air Show events unfolded here.
Saturday started off with some unfortunate news after the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office announced it was investigating an overnight shooting at The Wharf on Pensacola Beach. Investigators say it appears the 22-year-old male shooting victim sustained an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound while camping overnight on the venue’s property.
There was much more uplifting news from state Rep. Michelle Salzman, who had an opportunity to speak with the No. 3 jet pilot cited for the low pass on Wednesday. Salzman said she was impressed by his “humility, accountability, and professionalism.”
“He shared that he was shaken by what happened and needed time to process it. You could see the disappointment on his face. This wasn’t someone brushing off a mistake, it was someone who holds himself to an incredibly high standard and was deeply affected by falling short of it.”
Friday’s Pensacola Beach Air Show highlights
Follow how the Friday Blue Angels Air Show events unfolded here.
After a Blues pilot garnered national attention for a “low pass” over the crowd at Pensacola Beach on Wednesday, Blue Angels commanding officer and lead pilot Navy Capt. Adam Bryan said safety is the team’s top priority.
“We’ve been taking a heavy look at yesterday to ensure that we are doing things first and foremost safe,” Bryan said. “The pilot found himself unfortunately in a situation that we would deem unsafe over the beach. We never intend to fly over the crowd that low, and we’ll heavily debrief it, ensure that one, we continue on with safe flight demonstrations, and that we learn from those different things that happen from this team.”
Meanwhile, workers on the beach geared up for one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Thursday’s Pensacola Beach Air Show highlights
The biggest news of the day Thursday was the reaction to a pilot flying low over the crowd at Pensacola Beach on Wednesday.
The White House, United States Department of Defense and a cohort of prominent members of the government took to social media on Thursday to show their support for the Blue Angels, who were accused of flying too close to crowds during a Pensacola Beach flyover. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said that the “flight debrief” had been completed, and that there would be no reprimands related to the incident.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Relive the magic of the Blue Angels 2026 Pensacola Beach Air Show
Reporting by Benjamin Johnson, Jim Little, Brandon Girod and Kevin Robinson, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Benjamin Johnson, Jim Little, Brandon Girod and Kevin Robinson, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
