Cannon fights, Swift Boat cruises and an appearance by the iconic San Diego Chicken (Ted Giannoulas, recently profiled in The New York Times) highlight this weekend’s Festival of Sail.
Called the largest tall ship festival on the West Coast, the event through Labor Day is hosted at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The Chicken will be posing for pictures and greeting guests from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Festival of Sail.
Friday’s Parade of Sail kicked off the Labor Day weekend party — which extends to the Fleet Week Sea Air Parade on Sept. 10 on San Diego Bay.
That parade, from noon to 2 p.m., begins at Shelter Island with viewing areas all along the bayfront.
For the first time since 2008, amphibious ships, destroyers, Marine countermeasure ships, submarines and ships from the Coast Guard and Canadian Navy will take part, said Elisabeth Handley of the Fleet Week Foundation.
In addition, there will be amphibious landing craft and demonstrations of SEAL capabilities, Coast Guard Search and Rescue efforts, and fly-overs of Navy aircraft and the rarely seen Marine F-35 fighter jet, Handley said.
On Sept. 10 and 11, the Broadway and B Street Piers will host a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Fair, ship tours, live music, food, static displays and kids zone from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ship tours will be open from Sept. 10-14, also from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Broadway and B Street Piers. To kick it off, Fleet Week is hosting a Party at the Pier on Friday, Sept. 9 at 4:30 p.m. featuring live music, food trucks and a beer garden at B Street Pier.
The Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival, or “The Race at the Base,” will be held Sept. 17-18. Grand Marshal Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band will perform in concert at noon Saturday.
Naval Air Station North Island will be open to the public, allowing an unusual opportunity to visit a working U.S. Navy base.
Members of the U.S. military are the primary honorees of these events, but the local community is welcome and invited to enjoy many of these activities:
- Military Family Tailgate: Sept. 3, 3-4:30 p.m., Qualcomm Stadium.
- Fleet Week Golf Tournament: Sept. 9, 11 a.m., Admiral Baker Golf Course.
- Party on the Pier: Sept. 9, 4:30 p.m., B Street Pier.
- Fleet Week Sea Air Parade: Sept. 10, noon-2 p.m., San Diego Bay.
- Ship Tours: Sept. 10-14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Broadway Pier.
- STEM Fair: Sept. 10-11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Broadway Pier.
- Fleet Week Football Classic: Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m., Qualcomm Stadium.
- Fleet Week Foundation/SDMAC Breakfast: Sept. 14, Admiral Kidd Conference Center.
- Enlisted Recognition Luncheon: Sept. 15, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m., SeaWorld.
- Coronado Speed Festival Car Procession: Sept. 15, 4:30 p.m., Rotary Park, Coronado.
- Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival: Sept. 17-18 – Naval Air Station North Island.
- MCAS Miramar Air Show: Sept. 23-25, Gates open 8 a.m. daily, MCAS Miramar.
- MCRD Boot Camp Challenge: Oct. 1, 9 a.m., MCRD San Diego.
- Cabrillo Festival: Oct. 1, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Navy Base Pt. Loma.
