The Orlando Air Show scheduled for this weekend has been grounded due to the government shutdown.

The Air Dot Show Tour, which was set to soar above the Orlando Sanford International Airport Oct. 25-26, had military performers forced to drop out amid the shutdown, which is now entering its fourth week. The show’s headliners, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, are unable to perform right now, affecting the Orlando Air Show and others across the country.

“We’re disappointed that we had to pull the plug on this year’s show. Given the trickle-down effect of the government shutdown, that made it necessary for the military to withdraw, including the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds,” said Chris Dirato, the show’s director of public relations. “We couldn’t fill it up with civilian acts. We had to move forward and cancel this year’s show. We’ve disappointed for the fans and disappointed for the region.”

Last year, the show had a $12.8 million economic impact on the Central Florida region, Dirato said.

Aside from the headlining Thunderbirds, the show was set to include the Navy F-18 Super Hornet Demo, the P-51 Mustang Demo, stunt flying pilots and the Re/Max Parachute Team.

Ticket holders for this year’s event will receive an email with details on how to defer tickets to the 2026 event or request a refund.

“We’re actively engaged in putting the pieces together for the 2026 version of the show. We encourage folks to keep an eye out so they can plan accordingly,” Dirato said.

The Atlanta Air Show was able to proceed earlier this month even without the Thunderbirds, as gaps were filled in by civilian acts, something that wasn’t possible with the Central Florida show’s larger footprint, which includes static displays.

The Blue Angels were scheduled to fly over Jacksonville Beach this weekend, but had to drop off the lineup of the Sea and Sky Air Show, which is still proceeding without the headliner. The team wasn’t able to appear at shows in California earlier this month.

“Thunder Over the Sound” in Mississippi, which was to include the Thunderbirds, has also been canceled.

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