Overview The Owensboro Air Show is a free air show run by the City of Owensboro, Kentucky, and flown over the Ohio River in front of the downtown riverfront. The weekend opens with the Friday Night Flight, a ticketed evening at the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport, then moves to the river for the free main show on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Military jet teams headline, with the USAF Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels taking turns at the top of the bill. On site Show center sits behind the Owensboro Convention Center, and the crowd lines the riverfront from Smothers Park down to English Park, where speakers carry the commentary. Spectators stand about 50 feet above the water, so low passes along the river come in near eye level. The Blue Bridge closes to traffic and opens on Saturday morning for a public bridge walk. Food trucks park on Veterans Boulevard and downtown restaurants stay open. At the airport on Friday evening, crowds walk a static aircraft display and meet the pilots before a night show that ends in fireworks. Paid extras include rides in Vietnam-era Army helicopters and supercar laps on the runway. Audience Families bring lawn chairs and coolers and hold a spot on the riverfront through the afternoon. Many drive in from across the Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois Tri-State, and downtown hotels fill for the weekend. Veterans watch from along the river, and military personnel and first responders get into the Friday event free. Talent and Influencers The USAF Thunderbirds headlined the most recent show in their F-16s. The U.S. Army Golden Knights opened each day by parachute, and the Red Bull Air Force brought Kevin Coleman, helicopter pilot Aaron Fitzgerald and its wingsuit skydivers. Also on the bill: Titan Aerobatic Team, Northern Stars Aeroteam, Australia's Paul Bennet Airshows and Rifle Airshows, flown by former A-10 demo pilot Joe Shetterly. The Kentucky Air National Guard flew its C-130J, and the Commemorative Air Force brought the Red Tail P-51 with a Tuskegee Airmen exhibit. The Blue Angels headlined earlier shows, once alongside Fat Albert and the F-35A demo team. The next lineup has not been announced. Track record USA TODAY 10Best readers voted Owensboro Best Air Show, and the International Council of Air Shows gave the show first place for Best Social Media Campaign. The Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau put the spend at local businesses from one Thunderbirds weekend at close to $2 million. Brand presence Owensboro Health is the presenting sponsor, and its name runs under the show logo. Sponsors staff their own spaces at the Friday airport display and on the riverfront over the weekend, and the show announcer reads each one's statement in its own words. Corporate guests watch from a hospitality room in the Convention Center at show center, with food and drinks.