The Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder, their first Anchorage show since 2016

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

JBER hosted the biennial open house Aug. 8 and 9, with the Blue Angels headlining a lineup that 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 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, and the event let the public get a close look at military aircraft, vehicles, equipment and the service members based in Alaska.

Base officials framed the weekend 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.

For Anchorage-area residents, 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. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance urged attendees on social media to skip the traffic by taking public transit. Reaction online was mixed: some residents questioned the flyovers and the recruiting pitch that came with them, while others simply asked where they could watch the jets without going onto the base.

JBER's release describes the weekend as the Blue Angels' first appearance at the base since 2016 — a narrower claim than saying the team had made no Anchorage-area flyover in that time.