AirFest Returns to MacDill in 2016

Tampa Bay area residents who were bummed out by the 2015 hiatus of MacDill Air Force Base’s AirFest have something to look forward to in 2016.

The Air Force has officially given a green light for the show’s return in 2016, The Tampa Tribune is reporting. The show will likely take place in mid-March, but final dates won’t be announced until early December.

AirFest was grounded in 2015 due to budgetary concerns. The show’s run in 2014 drew an estimated 185,000 spectators, the Tribune noted.

An estimated $250,000 in private funding was required to get the 2014 Tampa Bay AirFest off the ground, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

See Also:

• MacDill AirFest Grounded in 2015

“Because we had it in 2014, it wasn’t even considered in 2015,” Terry Montrose, a spokesman for MacDill’s 6th Air Mobility Wing told the Times.

Organizers told the Tribune it takes a minimum of $150,000 in community donations to stage the show. The Bay Area Community AirFest Committee believes it can pull that off with ease.

Fundraising efforts are expected to ramp up after official dates are announced.

Are you looking forward to the show’s return?

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Facebook page