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The Blue Angels announce they will return to Seattle's Seafair weekend in 2022

By Lindsey Kirschman, SeattlePI

|Updated
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform during the San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show: Marina Green on Saturday, October 6, 2018, in San Francisco, Calif. The event is produced by The Air Show Network and presented by United Airlines. The air show event is taking place over three consecutive days in the skies above San Francisco’s waterfront and attracts over a million people around the Bay.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform during the San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show: Marina Green on Saturday, October 6, 2018, in San Francisco, Calif. The event is produced by The Air Show Network and presented by United Airlines. The air show event is taking place over three consecutive days in the skies above San Francisco’s waterfront and attracts over a million people around the Bay.Yalonda M James/The Chronicle

The Blue Angels announced this week that they will once again be returning to the Seattle horizon.

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After two years of quiet skies, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron has official plans to return to Seafair Aug. 5-7. They will also make an appearance the following year: Aug. 4-6, 2023.

Hailed as one of the "largest boating events, airshows and festivals all rolled into one," Seafair 2022 will include the introduction of new jets. The F/A-18 Super Hornets will be making their first appearance in the Pacific Northwest this coming summer. According to a news release, this is the first time in 36 years Blue Angels pilots will be using new aircraft.

“Seafair is thrilled to have the U.S. Navy Blue Angels back for another two years,” said Eric Corning, president & CEO of Seafair. “After the past two years that saw so many events be put on hold, we are looking forward to join our community in welcoming back a Pacific Northwest tradition.”

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The flight box for the Blue Angels performance this summer will remain the same as the 2019 fair, meaning the I-90 Bridge and Seward Park will remain open.

The purpose of the Blue Angels is to "enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States, its elected leadership, and foreign nations," the release said. 

Seafair programming went virtual for two years in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The upcoming 2022 Seafair festivities will be the first in-person edition of the event since 2019.

Lindsey Kirschman is a web producer for the SeattlePI.