San Francisco’s Fleet Week goes on despite federal shutdown, with help from Canada and Colombia

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The government shutdown has grounded the Blue Angels from its crowd-pleasing, stunt-filled airshow at San Francisco’s Fleet Week. But Royal Canadian pilots and Colombian sailors will be on hand to make sure the show goes on, organizers said Wednesday.

The three-masted ARC Gloria, which is the official flagship of the Colombian Navy, will arrive at the Port of San Francisco on Thursday and the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snowbirds will headline the air show this weekend.

The late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein started Fleet Week in 1981, as a civic celebration of and tribute to all those who serve in the armed forces.

“And nearly every October since, the sound of jets has become a familiar soundtrack over the city,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie at a press event held at the city’s iconic Fisherman’s Wharf, with the flags of America, Colombia and Canada flapping behind him.

The festival attracts over 1 million visitors who stay in San Francisco’s hotels, eat at its restaurants and gobble up its natural beauty. There is also live music, ship tours and exhibits focused on military readiness and local disaster response readiness.

Officials said the air show will remain world class, with the Snowbirds performing military aerobatics.

Sonia Marina Pereira Portilla, the Consul General of Colombia, said San Francisco was the perfect city to welcome the ARC Gloria. The tall-ship has visited ports around the world, bringing with it, she said, “the culture, the identity and the goodwill” of Colombia.

“Let us seize this moment to strengthen the friendship between our people,” she said.