Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach 2022: What to know about the show
The Blue Angels practice for the air show at Jones Beach on Friday May 25, 2018 in Wantagh. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Soar into Memorial Day weekend with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, marking the jet team’s ninth headlining performance at Jones Beach.
The Bethpage Air Show in Wantagh will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29. The $10 parking fee per car can be paid at the parking field. Parking is free for Empire Pass holders. No other tickets are required to attend the show. Here’s what else you’ll need to know, and where to watch.
AIR SHOW DETAILS
The Jones Beach boardwalk and beaches will be open with no restrictions.
Spectators look on as John Klatt Airshows/Jack Links' Screamin Sasquatch takes to the sky during the 15th annual Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach Saturday, May 26, 2018. Credit: Barry Sloan
This year’s military performers also include the United States Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, the Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor; the U.S. Navy F-35C Tac Demonstration Team, the U.S. Coast Guard and the 106th Air National Guard Rescue Wing. The civilian performers range from the American Airpower Museum Warbirds and the Skytypers Airshow Team to aerobatic flyers Jessy Panzer and David Windmiller, aerial demonstration pilot Mike Goulian and the Farmingdale State College Flying Rams.
Jones Beach State Park concessions will serving traditional beach treats such as hamburgers and hot dogs, as well as gelato and gyros, according to concessionaire Elias Trahanas.
WAYS TO WATCH
Fans who want to steer clear of the crowds at Jones Beach can also watch the highflying stunts and astonishing aerobatics by top flight military and civilian performers with some alternative planning.
BY BUS: NICE (Nassau Inter-County Express) will run N88 buses from the Freeport Long Island Rail Road station to Jones Beach on show days from 8:28 a.m. to 8:55 p.m. The buses will leave hourly on Friday (practice day) and every half-hour on Saturday and Sunday. Riders will be dropped off and picked up at the West Bath House just west of the park’s Central Mall main viewing area. Bus riders are required to wear a mask or face covering.
BY BOAT: Watch the air show with a cocktail in hand on cruises out of the Nautical Mile in Freeport. At noon on Saturday and Sunday, Freeport Water Taxi & Tours’ 44-foot catamaran will be leaving with a capacity of 28 passengers for a viewing party “as close as we can to the water tower because that’s the focal point of the jets,” says Captain Rick Cohen. ($65/adults, $45/children, plus cash bar, 516-521-7744, freeportwatertaxi.com).
The Capt. Lou Fleet’s super cruisers, the 100-foot Atlantic Pearl and the 85-foot Capt. Lou VII, are hosting viewing parties from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Spectators can bring a small cooler with food and one unopened bottle of water, but other beverages need to be purchased from the boat’s cash bar. Boarding at 11 a.m. for the Atlantic Pearl at 111 Woodcleft Ave. and for the Capt. Lou VII at 31 Woodcleft Ave., The Nautical Mile, Freeport. ($65, 516-623-5823, captloufleet.com, nauticalmilecruises.com)
BY DINING RESERVATION: Watch the aerial action while dining at Gatsby on the Ocean restaurant on the second floor of Jones Beach’s West Bath House, where patio tables offer an air show view. The $50 parking voucher from the restaurant parking lot can be used toward a meal from a special air show menu including steak, pasta, lobster roll and salads. (516-785-0012, gatsbyontheocean.com)
VIA AN OFF-SITE PARK: See the show from a different angle from the pier and long shoreline at Wantagh Park (1 King Road, Wantagh, 516-571-7460) or at nearby Cedar Creek Park. (3340 Merrick Rd., Seaford, 516-571-7470) Both parks are fully open with no capacity restrictions. Spectators are required to present proof of Nassau County residence. (Driver’s license or leisure pass.)
Nassau County’s Nickerson Beach Park, located on Long Beach west of Jones Beach, also offers a view of the high-flying derring-do. Parking costs $15 for Nassau County Leisure Pass holders or $37 without a Leisure Pass. (880 Lido Blvd., Lido Beach, 516-571-7700)
You can also watch the aircraft soar overhead after they take off from Republic Airport, from a vantage point at Nassau County’s nearby Old Bethpage Village Restoration. (1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, 516-572-8400, $15/adults, $12/seniors and children ages 5 to 12)
