Jets above? Skies heating up with airshow practice flights Friday

The Snowbirds will be taking to the skies for their final performances this year in Barrie, marking the end of an era.

If you hear something roaring over Simcoe County Friday, it’s not your imagination - the airshow is already warming up.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., pilots will be in the sky doing practice runs ahead of the 2026 Barrie Airshow, giving residents an early preview of what’s in store this weekend.

The Snowbirds will be taking to the skies for their final performances this year, marking the end of an era.

“Celebrating 55 years of aviation excellence, right next to the birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air force, Borden,” said Captain Philip Rochon, public affairs officer for the Snowbirds.

“So for us, it’s a great privilege to be here again,” Rochon added.

The official show runs Saturday and Sunday along Kempenfelt Bay, with thousands expected to gather across popular viewing spots like Heritage Park, Centennial Park, Will Dwyer Park, Southshore Park, Allandale Station Park and Minet’s Point Park.

The F18s, Skyhawks, Griffon Helicopter are military performers scheduled for this weekend’s event. The Harvards and Northern Stars are two of the eight civilian performers who will be joining in.

As always, flight times can shift depending on weather and safety conditions.

“Depending on the conditions, we try to modify to make sure that we put something up in the sky for everyone to see,” Rochon said.

So if you glance up Friday and catch something flying, you’re getting a sneak peek of the weekend show before it officially takes flight.

The 2026 Barrie Airshow, presented by Pratt Homes, is supported by the City of Barrie, Canadian Forces Base Borden, the County of Simcoe, the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, the Downtown Barrie BIA and event sponsors.

Details on the airshow can be found here. Viewers can catch a full preview Friday at 6 p.m. on CTV News Barrie.

This article was written with files from CTV News’s Mike Lang.