Seattle is one of the most progressive, activist, and inclusivity-conscious cities on the West Coast, perhaps in the country.
As a whole, we Seattlites do our best to accommodate those with disabilities and not antagonize our neighbors. At the same time, the city has committed to not aiding in the abductions of immigrant residents, and numerous organizations and thousands of Seattleites have risen up in protest of U.S. military aid to countries enacting genocide. Tens of thousands of people here have marched against having a “king” in the White House. We’re radical.
Why, then, does Seafair, the orchestrator of the city’s biggest summer party, continue to invite the Blue Angels, the Navy’s military precision fighter jet team, to roar over our skies every August? It’s tantamount to a noise and nerve assault on those with sensory issues, many military veterans, and on refugees in our midst who fled war plane-filled skies in their homelands.
“I almost dive under the couch,” a Ukrainian mom told me after a Blue Angels practice flight last year. She had no idea what was happening in the air above the house she then shared with seven others in Seward Park. I wrote the comment down in my notes app; I was so moved by her upset.
Sea unfair
Seafair’s name says it all. The festival was conceived in 1950 to celebrate Seattle’s marine and boating heritage, including naval history in Puget Sound. I see no problem in quietly recognizing Navy sailors and ships. If kids and families want to see them and acknowledge their service to the country, they can make that decision and head to the Seattle waterfront.
Parents do not get to make that decision with the Blue Angels. Whether they want to expose their kids to military jets or not, those powerhouses are going to be flying overhead.
As a Seattle resident once posted on the 500-member Say No to Blue Angels Facebook page: “This is so-called ‘entertainment’ hoisted on whole communities without consent.”
If you live anywhere in Seattle, it’s nearly impossible to escape the sound of the screaming jets, unless you have disposable funds and can leave town. For me and my pacifist family, the Blue Angels shows have always been panic-inducing noise and military glorification thrust upon us.
The propulsion noise of six fighter jets is enough to scare any child, especially as we continue at war with Iran. Fighter jets sound like war. Not to mention, the three days of flights are a major issue for those with sensory dysregulation.
Traumatized by the roar
That was my child, who is autistic, for years. As the jets somersaulted over Lake Washington, he rocked and cried and screamed in his room, or the bathroom, which we eventually figured out was a better place to dull the roar.
This was back in the old days, before noise-silencing headphones. He’s now a grown man who has adapted to loud sounds (in fact, he loves heavy metal), but back then, Blue Angels flyovers were literally a form of torture. And as a young family, we couldn’t afford to skip town.
I’d bet big money there were a whole lot of loud-hating kids on the spectrum and off who experienced that same tension every year, headphones or no. And while Seafair offers earplugs and other ways to potentially mitigate the issue for those with noise sensitivities attending Seafair Weekend, that doesn’t cut it for kids suffering at home. The planes are just too loud.
Bad for the environment, kids, vets
The Navy uses about 70,550 gallons of jet fuel for Seafair, spewing around 670 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in one weekend. This is the equivalent of the amount of CO2 emitted by over 140 single-family homes for an entire year.
“The environmental and health impacts of the Blue Angels are something our community can no longer ignore,” wrote members of the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility last year. “Military airshows burn massive amounts of jet fuel during test flights and performances, spewing air pollution directly into our communities. The aircraft produce 110-decibel noise that can permanently damage hearing, especially in children. For some combat veterans and refugees, the sounds and sights of military jets can trigger PTSD and traumatic memories. ”
A sanctuary city should not be promoting militarism
As for me and my kids, while we envision a world that does not need guns or military anywhere, we understand that as a country, we need to protect our borders, help our allies, and, in rare cases, intervene where inhumanity reigns. We need a military. We are grateful to members for their great service. I grew up on military bases and can see how watching fighter jets dance might especially bring a sense of pride and hope to military families.
But in 2026 especially, as people across the U.S and all over greater Seattle continue weekly to protest against the U.S. war with Iran, our morally shaky alliances in the Middle East, and the continued war in Ukraine, do fighter jet flyovers make sense? It does not instill pride in me or mine. It instills fear. Don’t we have enough of that at the moment?
The financial cost
Not to mention, do you, as a taxpayer, really want your tax dollars going to military air shows?
Because you are supporting them. By various accounts, the national budget for the Blue Angels’ annual show schedule in cities across the country is upwards of $35 million.
That’s your dollars paying for aerial shows at a time when the administration of President Donald Trump is pulling food from the mouths of children, opposing diversity and equity initiatives, eviscerating early childhood education programs, and dismantling the Department of Education.
That money could be better spent elsewhere. As the Physicians for Social Responsibility point out, those taxpayer dollars “could support community health.”
While the Navy covers the brunt of the costs of the Seattle show (take a look at just how involved, maintenance- and personnel-heavy one show is), Seafair still dishes out funds to bring the show here. As a nonprofit, Seafair gets to decide where best to use the donations it receives.
But in a city hard hit by federal government cutbacks and draconian policies, I’d like my donations to go toward celebrations that uplift all residents and do not cause others to run and hide.
And, yet, they’ll be back
Ultimately, whether the Blue Angels fly over Seattle is a decision made by the Seafair Board of Directors. It’s time for the organization to stick to the sea and leave air fighters on the ground. Sadly, Seafair has already announced the planes will return next year too. They are scheduled to perform during the Seafair Weekend Festival from August 6 to August 8, 2027.
This article is an opinion piece (Op-Ed) and reflects the views of the author. We encourage thoughtful debate and welcome a range of viewpoints. Readers who wish to submit their own Op-Ed for consideration can do so by emailing [email protected].
