EAA AirVenture 2026 Air Show Schedule: Times, Headliners, and What to Watch This Week in Oshkosh
OSHKOSH — The world’s largest aviation gathering is back, and the daily air show is the centerpiece. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 runs Monday, July 20 through Sunday, July 26 at Wittman Regional Airport, with a headline performance in the sky every single afternoon and two night shows built around fireworks and pyrotechnics.
Quick answer — air show times: Afternoon shows run Monday through Saturday at 2:15 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Night air shows light up the sky Wednesday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. All times are Central. The daily show is presented by Daher; the Wednesday night show is presented by Covington and the Saturday night show by Hartzell.
For Central Wisconsin families, AirVenture is one of the easiest big-ticket day trips of the summer. Oshkosh sits roughly an hour to 90 minutes south of most of the region, which makes an afternoon show and a drive home very doable. Below is the full week laid out by show time, the featured performers for each day, and the marquee acts you do not want to miss.
Daily Air Show Times
| Day | Afternoon Show | Night Show |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, July 20 | 2:15 p.m. | — |
| Tuesday, July 21 | 2:15 p.m. | — |
| Wednesday, July 22 | 2:15 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, July 23 | 2:15 p.m. | — |
| Friday, July 24 | 2:15 p.m. | — |
| Saturday, July 25 | 2:15 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 26 | 1:00 p.m. | — |
Four acts worth planning your day around
- RAF Red Arrows. The Royal Air Force aerobatic team makes its first-ever Oshkosh appearance in 2026, part of the show’s America 250 celebration. The nine-ship Hawk jet team has flown nearly 5,000 displays in 57 countries since 1965.
- The Flying Bulls. Making their American public debut, the Austria-based team is bringing a restored P-38 Lightning and a Douglas DC-6B across the Atlantic by way of Iceland, Newfoundland, and Canada to reach Wisconsin.
- USAF F-22 Raptor Demo. The Air Force’s fifth-generation fighter demonstration team, paired with the Heritage Flight, flies later in the week.
- Red Bull Air Force. Extra 300 aerobatics, a Bo 105 helicopter looping and rolling, and wingsuit jumpers all in one act.
Featured Daily Lineups
Monday, July 20 — 2:15 p.m.
Opening day kicks off with the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team on the National Anthem, then rolls through a warbird and aerobatics mix: Ed Hamill in the Folds of Honor biplane, Kyle Franklin, Jarrod Lindemann in the Jet Waco, Nathan Hammond’s GhostWriter Super Chipmunk, the International Aerobatic Club demo, Vicky Benzing in the P-51 Plum Crazy, Team Redline, the Jack Aces P-51 formation, Frank Kimmel in the F4U Corsair, and Britt Lincoln. The Flying Bulls and the USAF F-16 Viper Demo close it out.Tuesday, July 21 — 2:15 p.m.
The Chuters open with the Anthem jump, followed by Jerry “Jive” Kerby in the T-28 Trojan, Erik Edgren’s clipped-wing Taylorcraft, the IAC demo, Skip Stewart in Prometheus 2, Australia’s Paul Bennet in the Wolf Pitts, Matt Younkin’s twin Beech 18, and Jeff Shetterly in the SNJ-6 Texan. The USAF F-22 Raptor Demo, the Northern Stars, Jim Peitz, and the TITAN Aerobatic Team round out the afternoon, with AG drones, Scalewing, and Jetson One features mixed in.Wednesday, July 22 — 2:15 p.m. (plus 8:00 p.m. Night Show)
Wednesday is a big one. The afternoon features The Flying Bulls, the Northern Stars, RJ Gritter, David Martin, Team Redline, Greg Koontz, the RAF Red Arrows arrival, Michael Goulian in the Extra 330SC, the Jack Aces, Tinstix of Dynamite, Britt Lincoln, Susan Dacy in Big Red, and Vicky Benzing, capped by a Warbirds Missing Man formation. The Wednesday night show at 8:00 p.m. opens with a heavy warbird formation (B-29, PB4Y-2, DC-6, P-38, PBY, and F4F), then TITAN, Erik Edgren, the Golden Knights, Matt Younkin’s lit-up night Beech 18, Bob Carlton’s jet sailplane, Kyle Fowler, Tom Larkin in the SubSonex mini jet, Ken Rieder, and Nathan Hammond’s pyro-equipped GhostWriter. It closes with fireworks, drones, and lasers.Thursday, July 23 — 2:15 p.m.
Thursday leads with the Golden Knights on the Anthem and a Vintage in Review segment, then Jarrod Lindemann, Jeff Boerboon in the Extra 330SC, Paul Bennet, the Red Bull Air Force, Kyle Franklin, Jim Peitz, David Martin, and the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team jumping from a C-47 and C-49. RJ Gritter, Frank Kimmel, Ed Hamill, and Bernie Vasquez in the P-47 lead into the USAF F-22 Raptor Demo and Heritage Flight finale.Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26
The back half of the week keeps the same daily format, with the afternoon show at 2:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday and the week’s final show Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Saturday night show at 8:00 p.m. is the second and last night performance of AirVenture 2026, again built around fireworks and pyrotechnics. EAA finalizes each day’s performer roster as the week goes on, so check the official lineup for the exact Friday, Saturday, and Sunday acts.Editor’s note: Confirm and add the finalized Friday, Saturday day, Saturday night, and Sunday performer lists from EAA before publishing this section.
Planning Your Visit
- Get there early. Thousands line the flightline well before the 2:15 p.m. start to claim a spot. Bring chairs, sunscreen, water, and hearing protection for kids.
- Night shows fill up fast. The Wednesday and Saturday 8:00 p.m. shows draw big crowds for the fireworks finale, so plan parking and seating accordingly.
- Weather matters. Air show lineups can shift or scrub for wind and ceilings. Confirm the day-of schedule before you leave home.
- Day-trip friendly. From most of Central Wisconsin, Oshkosh is a reasonable drive for an afternoon show and a return the same evening.
Schedule and performer details sourced from the EAA AirVenture official air show page. Times and lineups are subject to change; verify the day-of schedule with EAA.
