Chicago Air & Water Show: Thunderbirds at Diversey Harbor! ✈️

Join us Saturday, August 15 from 1:00–3:15 PM at Diversey Harbor near the Chevron sculpture for an afternoon of airplanes, lakefront views, snacks, and good company!
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are headlining this year’s Chicago Air & Water Show, and we’ll gather in time to enjoy the later performances together.

What to bring

• Earplugs — definitely! The jets are incredibly loud, even from Diversey Harbor.
• A folding chair or blanket
• Water
• Sunscreen and/or a hat
• Sunglasses
• A snack to share for our casual potluck of snacks
• Anything else you need to be comfortable outside for a couple of hours

Bring whatever snack you’d like—sweet, salty, healthy, indulgent, homemade, or store-bought. No need to coordinate; we’ll simply put everything together and share.

We could potentially see several of these — depending on how Saturday's order is arranged:

• U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds — the one I would feel most confident about. If Chicago follows its usual headline format, expect them somewhere around 2:00–3:00, with 2023's 2:15 start being a useful benchmark.
• F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team — one of the marquee military demonstrations on the 2026 roster.
• USMC F-35B Lightning II Demonstration Team — another major fighter demonstration, also officially confirmed.
• U.S. Army Golden Knights — parachute demonstration team and one of the two acts Chicago lists as a 2026 headliner.
• C-17 Globemaster III — the enormous Air Force transport aircraft.
• KC-135 Stratotanker — Illinois Air National Guard aerial-refueling aircraft.
• Potentially one or more of the civilian aerobatic performers — Kevin Coleman, Susan Dacy's “Big Red,” Ed Hamill's Folds of Honor biplane, or the Trojan Phlyers

Where to meet
We’ll meet by the large Chevron sculpture near Diversey Harbor. Look for the Meetup group gathering nearby.
Come for the planes, stay for the company! ✈️☀️🌊

Getting There
CTA:
The #76 Diversey bus is probably the simplest option from the west. It runs east toward the lake/Nature Museum area on Saturdays.
The #151 Sheridan is another good option and stops at Sheridan & Diversey; from there, walk east toward the lakefront and the harbor.

Bike: The Lakefront Trail takes you directly to the Diversey Harbor area. Once you reach the harbor, look for the giant blue Chevron sculpture just north of the bridge.

Rideshare: Use “Diversey Harbor, 2601 N. Cannon Dr., Chicago, IL 60614” as your destination, then walk toward the lake and the Chevron sculpture. The Park District lists that as Diversey Harbor’s official address.

Driving: There is paid parking in the Diversey Harbor area, but Air & Water Show Saturday is likely to be extremely busy, so I’d strongly encourage CTA, biking, or rideshare. The harbor parking/boat-launch facility is at 2601 N. Cannon Dr.

Important: Give yourself extra time. Lakefront traffic, parking, buses, bikes, and pedestrians will all be heavier than on a normal Saturday because of the Air & Water Show.