Barrie air shows to take flight this weekend for Canada Day celebrations

Two air shows will take place in Barrie this weekend on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon over Kempenfelt Bay.

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds and the CF-18 Demo Team will perform a show at 6 p.m. on Friday and at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The air show is the second official one to take place in Barrie, according to Arin Donnelly, the city’s community events co-ordinator.

The last air show in Barrie occurred in 2017 for Canada 150, Donnelly said, and since 2016, the city had alternated hosting them with Canadian Forces Base Borden.

“In 2017, it was a really great opportunity that came our way to celebrate Canada 150, and we realized out of that how incredible it was to have a free show done at Barrie’s waterfront,” Donnelly added.

According to Donnelly, the air show’s 2017 attendance was estimated at over 40,000 people, and it’s expected that the number will be similar this year.

The recommended viewing for the air show is at Heritage Park, Centennial Park, Allandale Station Park and parks along the north and south shore of Kempenfelt Bay.

There will be Canadian Forces Base Borden displays and a kiddie commando course in Heritage Park from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

There will also be aviation-themed activities at Terminal 4 at Five Points Theatre, featuring flight simulators, displays and vendors from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday to Monday.

On Saturday at 9:30 p.m., there will also be an outdoor screening of Top Gun at Meridian Place.

“With any community event, it’s about bringing people together, and especially with this one being on Canada Day weekend, celebrating our country,” Donnelly said.

“Having the Snowbirds, which are an iconic Canadian team, involved in the show is really special.

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