Blue Angels returned to JBER for first Arctic Thunder appearance since 2016

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• Blue Angels return to JBER after decade away from Arctic Thunder

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The U.S. Navy Blue Angels returned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for the Arctic Thunder Open House this weekend, marking the flight team's first JBER appearance since 2016, the base said.

JBER hosted the biennial open house Aug. 8 and 9. The base said the Blue Angels headlined the event, which also featured the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, the Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team and an Alaska Joint Forces Demonstration.

"Welcoming the Blue Angels to JBER during our country's 250th birthday is extra exciting since we haven't hosted them since 2016," Air Force Maj. Ryan Murdock, the Arctic Thunder Open House director, said in a JBER release.

The base described Arctic Thunder as one of Alaska's largest public outreach events. Admission and parking were free. The event let the public get a close look at military aircraft, vehicles, equipment and service members based in Alaska.

Base officials framed the open house as an outreach effort as much as an entertainment one. "Arctic Thunder Open House is significant for bridging the military and civilian communities to further build trust between the two," Airman 1st Class Gianni Paganucci of the 673d Civil Engineer Squadron said in official DVIDS coverage of the base's preparations. Military air shows and open houses commonly serve that function nationally, blending demonstrations with community access and recruiting visibility.

For Anchorage-area residents and military families near the base, the weekend brought a large free event within driving distance, along with traffic, security screening at the gates and days of low-altitude flying over north Anchorage. Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance urged attendees on social media to skip the traffic and parking by taking public transit. Some residents posting online about the show questioned the flyovers and the recruiting pitch that came with them. Others asked where they could watch the aircraft without going onto the base at all.

KTUU reported before the show that the Blue Angels were scheduled to perform at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Capt. Adam Bryan, a Blue Angels pilot, told the station the Anchorage stop gave the team a distinctive show site after flying north along the Pacific coast.

JBER's release describes the weekend as the Blue Angels' first appearance at the base since 2016. That claim is narrower than saying the team had not made any Anchorage-area flyover or visit during that period.

Sources

• JBER release: https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/News-Releases/Display/Article/4375194/news-release-jber-to-welcome-blue-angels-at-arctic-thunder-open-house-2026/

• KTUU: https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/08/06/blue-angels-return-arctic-thunder-after-decade-long-absence/