The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will perform at the 2022 Central Coast AirFest.
The aerial demonstration jet team will be the headlining act at the event planned for Oct. 15-16 at the Santa Maria Public Airport, organizers said on Facebook.
“We are excited to announce the @cfsnowbirds returning to the Central Coast for AirFest 2022,” according to the post.
Another act lined up will be the U.S. Air Force’s F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team.
“We have a very good AirFest looking to form up in 2022,” airport General Manager Chris Hastert said.
He added that Chris Kunkle from the Central Coast Jet Center continues to work his strong ties to line up other peroformers for the air show.
The Snowbirds performed at the inaugural AirFest in 2018.
The Santa Maria performance by the headlining act, Canada’s Snowbirds, will mark one of three California appearances by the team likened to the Air Force Thunderbirds or U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
Before landing in Santa Maria, the Snowbirds are scheduled to perform in Huntington Beach Oct. 1-2 and San Francisco Oct. 8-9.
The Santa Maria air show was grounded in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19-related public health concerns, so the 2022 show is expected to mark its return.
Aerial demonstration teams released schedules this week as part of the International Council of Air Shows Convention in Las Vegas.
The Navy’s Blue Angels revealed the 2023 schedule, which will include a performance at the Point Mugu Naval Air Staton in Ventura County from March 18-19. They previously had released the 2022 schedule.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.