ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. — Ellsworth Air Force Base is preparing to open its doors to the community next year for a major air show.
The air show will be the first open house since 2015 and the first since Ellsworth was named the main operating base for the new B-21 Raider.
2022 will be a significant year for the Air Force and the base itself – it’s the 80th anniversary of Ellsworth Air Force Base, the 75th birthday of the U.S. Air Force, and the 80th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid.
The event will feature civilian and military air demonstrations, headlined by the famed U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
“In 2015, we had about 50,000 people show to the air show. Because we haven’t had an air show in seven years…because the population has grown…and because all of the attention on us, we’re expecting at least 60,000 to the local area,” says Lt. Col. Tony Nishimura, the air show project officer at Ellsworth.
An advanced team for the Blue Angels is set to land at Ellsworth late Wednesday night to make preparations for the event.
The 2022 Ellsworth Air and Space Show is set to take place May 14 and 15.
“We’re extremely excited about the fact that this is going to bring people from outside the community as well as within the community…with 60,000-plus people here for the air show, it’s going to have a good, early-season economic impact on our community,” Lt. Col. Nishimura adds.
The base will release more information for those wanting to attend as we get closer.
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