The birds are coming back.
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will pay White Rock a visit on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 8, the city announced in a release Thursday (July 27).
The abbreviated aerial demonstration, which will begin around 2 p.m., is expected to last between five and 10 minutes.
Marking the occasion will be the unveiling of a commemorative sign on the promenade, in recognition of the longstanding relationship between White Rock and Canada’s beloved formation-flying team, who have performed high above the city’s iconic pier many times over the years.
Mayor Megan Knight and two Snowbird pilots will be in attendance and will provide remarks at the event, which will take place at Memorial Park, just east of the pier entrance
“We are really pleased to have the Snowbirds pay White Rock a visit again this summer,” said Knight.
“If you have never seen them fly, I encourage you to come out for this treat. It is truly a thrilling experience, and I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon.”
The last time the Snowbirds dipped their wings in the skies above White Rock was in July, 2021, during a series of flyover events of Lower Mainland cities. The “brief salute” for the city, was part of Operation Inspiration, the cross-country tour that was created as a way of inspiring hope during the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ ALSO: Snowbirds to fly over White Rock this afternoon
A longer performance, scheduled for the summer of 2022, was cancelled following a crash in northern B.C. from which the pilot walked away unscathed. Two years earlier, in May, 2020, Royal Canadian Air Force public affairs officer Capt. Jennifer Casey was tragically killed in a Snowbirds crash at Kamloops, after a small bird flew into the plane’s engine shortly after take-off.
READ ALSO: Canadian Forces Snowbirds’ White Rock performance cancelled
In past years, the Snowbirds’ visits to White Rock have drawn tens of thousands of people to the city’s waterfront and hillsides to take in an aerobatic performance that raises donations and awareness for the C.H.I.L.D. Foundation, which funds research for children suffering from Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and liver disorders.
Prior to the 2021 flypast, the Snowbirds most recently performed a full-scale show for White Rock in 2017.
Based out of Moose Jaw, Sask., the Snowbirds consider the skies above White Rock to be ideal for air demonstrations as the pier provides a perfect reference point for the pilots when performing above White Rock and Semiahmoo Bay, notes the city’s release.
Snowbird pilots train rigorously for dozens of annual performances across North America which include up to 50 different formations and maneuvers at speeds of 185 to 590 km/h.
For event information and location map visit whiterockcity.ca/events