Atlantic City Gears Up for Week-Long Air Show Festival With Military Jets, Fireworks

This summer's Visit Atlantic City Soar & Shore Festival will fill the skies and shores with planes, boats, and bright lights. The week-long event runs July 14-20. Its main draw, a stunning air show, takes flight on July 16.

Jets will streak across the beach from noon until 2:30 p.m. on show day. F-16s from the 177th Fighter Wing will thunder past four times. MH-65s will show off water rescues, their blades churning up sea spray.

Warbirds from past battles will soar again. A massive B-25 bomber and nimble F4F Wildcat will paint history in the air. First up, the Misty Blues will leap from high above. Then watch as Nathan Hammond twists his Super Chipmunk through wild moves, while Skip Stewart pushes his plane to the limit.

Want a preview? Watch the pilots practice their routines on July 15. They'll run through the same afternoon schedule as the main event.

This year brings fresh fun beyond the flying. Anglers can test their skills during Fishing Week at Farley Marina. Lines go in July 14-19, with fish weighed each night from 5 to 9 p.m.

Car buffs can check out gleaming chrome and steel at Boardwalk Hall on July 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. Stay for a special treat, a silent film backed by the hall's mighty organ at 6 p.m.

As night falls on July 16, Grucci's fireworks will light up the waves at 9 p.m. The next day brings laughs when ESPN films people slipping and sliding on Missouri Avenue beach from noon to 2 p.m.

After sitting out last year, the show mixes old and new in the sky. Modern machines like the KC-46 tanker will share space with a screaming MiG-17 from the Cold War days.