California Capital Airshow returns to Sacramento region in 2021, with a twist
The California Capital Airshow will return to Sacramento skies this year, with some changes and additions, after the pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020.
The aerial display at Mather Airport will run three days instead of two, beginning with a new drive-in show Friday, Sept. 24, before more traditional shows the weekend of Sept. 25 and 26, organizers announced this week.
“This unique event is likely the first and last of its kind,” California Capital Airshow organizers wrote of the drive-in in a news release. “The performances, narration, and music will be different from Saturday and Sunday’s events, and more than 25 military jets will soar above in just three hours.”
This year’s event, the 15th edition of the airshow, will feature the headlining U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, as well as the planned headliners from the scrapped 2020 show: the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds. The airshow has not yet announced which, if either, will perform during the drive-in show.
The more traditional Saturday and Sunday airshows will run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Paid attendees can explore aircraft and other interactive experiences on the tarmac while planes perform stunts in the air for hours.
The California Capital Airshow, which in previous years has drawn tens of thousands to the airport near Rancho Cordova, is limiting ticketed capacity this year at 50% of normal.
Organizers last year worked with the city and Sacramento County in efforts to continue with “a highly modified and socially distant event” in 2020 that aligned with state and local COVID-19 protocols, but ultimately said they were not confident they could minimize coronavirus risk.
This year on June 15, California dropped many of the virus restrictions that had been imposed on businesses and events since March 2020, but there are still some rules in place for “mega” events — indoor events with crowds over 5,000 and outdoor events with more than 10,000 people.
Tickets for the airshow go on sale to the general public Monday on the California Capital Airshow website, and will not be available onsite in September.
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 7:41 AM.
