Fort St. John International Air Show to return in 2025 following hiatus

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — After a two-year hiatus, the Fort St. John International Air Show is set to return to the North Peace Regional Airport in a few weeks, thanks in part to the efforts of its producer and vice chair, Sandi Miller.

Miller appeared on the July 18th episode of This Week in the Peace to discuss the show’s upcoming return. 

The air show, normally held bi-annually, went on a five-year hiatus before returning in 2022, but complications led to the 2024 event being cancelled.

“That was a very, very tough decision for our board,” Miller said. “There’s been a lot of changeover in who’s been running the show, on the board and on the committee, and as you can imagine, an event of this size takes a lot of manpower.”

The show is entirely organized by volunteers, which Miller said put significant pressure on the team in 2024 that led to them “not being as far ahead in the planning” as they needed when they decided to cancel last year’s event.

“This is where I really encourage everybody, if there’s an event in town, if there’s something going on that you love and want to have continue, see how you can be involved and how you can support it,” she said, “because it really does take a lot of work and a lot of energy for those people who are there, and they really do need the help in order to make these things happen.”

Another concern regarding the airshow is the wildfire season, although Miller said the worst of the season usually hits the Peace region earlier in the year, meaning it’s less likely to affect their plans.

Still, she described the way her team coordinates with the BC Wildfire Service as “very intense.”

“Part of the planning process for us is making sure that the wildfire base here [does] have access,” she said. “They have priority; if they need to get in and out or something happens, we shut down our show, we hold, we do whatever we need to do to accommodate them.”

Other considerations involving wildfires include the exclusion of pyrotechnics from the show, as Miller says she doesn’t want to gamble with the possibility of something going wrong.

This year’s airshow is being held on August 2nd and 3rd at the North Peace Regional Airport. Performers include the Canadian Forces Snowbirds as well as groups and individual aviation enthusiasts flying everything from World War Two-era bombing planes to homemade custom aircraft.

Some performers will also offer flights inside their aircraft to attendees. Other attractions include an RCMP display featuring a 20-foot drone, a Royal Canadian Air Force virtual reality display and a display helicopter from Northern Lights College.

Tickets are available online. Single-day passes cost $35 for adults and $25 for seniors, with kids 12 and under allowed in for free alongside someone with a ticket. 

Single-day passes will also be available at the gate during the air show for $40 each. Full weekend passes are also available online for $65, and won’t be available at the gate.

To purchase tickets and learn more about the event, visit the Fort St. John air show website. To view the full interview with Miller, look below.