Non-military Fleet Week events still scheduled amid shutdown

Government shutdown threatens military participation in San Francisco Fleet Week

Military participation in this year?s San Francisco Fleet Week is in jeopardy as the federal government shutdown continues, according to officials.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The federal government's shutdown has curtailed the military's participation in San Francisco's Fleet Week, but that doesn't mean the event is being canceled entirely.

Fleet Week, which is scheduled to run from Oct. 5 to 13, typically features concerts, ship tours and parades, and a performance by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels, among other events.

"San Francisco Fleet Week 2025 preparations continue across the city, in close coordination with the U.S. Navy. With the federal government shutdown now in effect, U.S. military participation is currently paused," David Cruise, the Public Affairs Officer for San Francisco Fleet Week said in a statement. "San Francisco Fleet Week has always been as much a civic tradition as a military one. We have been through this before, and we remain optimistic that, if a resolution is reached in time, our military sea service partners will be able to join us."

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 7: Blue Angels jets fly across the sky during the Fleet Week in San Francisco, California, United States on October 7, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

What's still happening?

What we know:

Cruise said San Francisco Fleet Week is moving ahead with confirmed participation from international partners in Canada and Colombia, whose ships will arrive as planned.

In addition to Canadian ships, the Snowbirds, a Canadian team of pilots that perform stunts similar to those of the Blue Angels, will go ahead with their scheduled performance. The Patriots Jet Team, a group of volunteer civilian pilots, will also perform aerial stunts.

Cruise said that non-military events across the city, including concerts at Fisherman's Wharf and the Italian Heritage Festival and Parade in North Beach, will go ahead as planned.

Other non-military events, including the High School Band Challenge on Oct. 13, will still be held.