The annual celebration of aviation and Long Beach’s storied connection to the skies returns Saturday, Oct. 29 with the Festival of Flight at the Long Beach Airport.

The free festival has been popular since its inception in 2013, drawing crowds as large as 10,000 to get up close to airliners, military transport aircraft and retired fighter jets.

Marrisa Luce looking at an airplane engine at the 95th Anniversary Celebration of the Festival of Flight in Long Beach, Saturday November 17, 2018. Photo by Kelly Smiley.

Guests will be able to walk on the tarmac to check out static displays of a variety of aircraft, plus enjoy live music, food and beer trucks, activities for kids and helicopter rides for purchase.

A portion of the festival will also feature aircraft that will be landing and taxiing including a Boeing 757, Coast Guard C-27J, Icon A-5 Amphibian, North American T-6 and Stearman biplanes.

A word for the wise: wear close-toed shoes to the event and bring water. Service animals are allowed into the event, but pets are not.

A P-51 Mustang and a P-40 Warhawk taxi in after landing for the Long Beach Airport’s Festival of Flight In Long Beach Friday, November 5, 2021. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.

There will be limited parking available at the corner of East Wardlow Road and Globemaster Way, though guests are encouraged to use alternative transportation such as cycling and ride-share. There will be bicycle parking available in the parking lot.

The festival, which is free to attend, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 on Taxiway E, located on the west end of the airfield at 3590 E. Wardlow Road.

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