Hundreds gathered at North Avenue beach as the Chicago Air and Water Show took flight Saturday morning for its second full-scale show in as many years.
The show runs Saturday until 3 p.m. along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street with North Avenue beach as a focal point.
Families sat on lawns at a nearby park, pointing toward the sky with every roar of a plane engine.
A parachutist descends toward the lakefront Saturday morning during the Air and Water Show.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
David F., 35, carried his 2-year-old son — only sporting a cap and diaper — as he pointed out a plane flying over Lake Michigan.
Saturday was the first time they attended the show and David was looking forward to showing his son different planes as he played in the sand.
The United States Air Force Thunderbirds and U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights were scheduled to headline the event.
The show was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic and was presented in 2021 in a distinctly scaled-back, hourlong presentation by the Navy Blue Angels.
A parachutist descends toward the lakefront Saturday morning during the Air and Water Show.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
The show dates back to 1959 and only had a budget of $88, according to an official website for Chicago.
The planes and boats return to the lakefront Sunday from 10:30 a.m. through 3 p.m.