PHOTOS: Snowbirds’ last hurrah over White Rock draws thousands
Published 8:10 am Friday, August 14, 2026
Thousands of people turned out to White Rock’s waterfront Wednesday evening (Aug. 12) to take in the final show of the iconic Snowbirds over Semiahmoo Bay.
The CT-114 Tutors dazzled crowds with aerobatic manoeuvres for some 45 minutes, in a display marking both the team’s 55th year in the skies and one of the last opportunities to witness these particular jets in action.
The Tutor first entered service with the RCAF as a jet trainer in 1963, and the Snowbirds began flying in 1971. Over the years, they have performed across the country and around the world, including numerous shows over White Rock, some of which drew crowds estimated at 20,000.
In May of this year, National Defence Minister David J. McGuinty announced that the Snowbirds will not fly again after the 2026 season until the early 2030s, until new aircraft could be commissioned to replace the Canadair CT-114s. The CT-157 Siskin II (the RCAF’s designation for the Pilatus PC21) is to be purchased for the future Snowbirds team.
Retiring the fleet is “kind of a turning the page on aviation history,” honorary Snowbird and White Rock resident Scott Harrold said following McGuinty’s announcement, describing the ‘birds as “one of the biggest things Canada has, patriotic-wise.”
Comments posted to the White Rock/South Surrey Community Facebook page by attendees of the Aug. 12 performance affirm the sentiment.
James Tejero – a photographer and longtime resident of White Rock – described the opportunity to see and photograph the “precision of nine aircraft moving as one, to seeing the pilots and markings up close,” as “moments I was grateful to capture.”
“A spectacular display of skill, trust and teamwork.”
Gail Pischak notes the planes have performed 2,700 shows for millions of spectators, adding “I am so proud of what the Snowbirds accomplished and how unifying they were. I had tears in my eyes today as they did their last flyby.”
Photographer Julia Michel described the display as “a beautiful way to say goodbye.”
The Snowbirds’ last scheduled performance of 2026 is Oct. 10-11 in Sacramento, Calif.