Organizers of San Francisco Fleet Week, an annual celebration of the U.S. Armed Forces, confirmed Wednesday that some events will go on amid a federal government shutdown that went into effect overnight.
Fleet Week will run from Sunday to Oct. 13 and this year’s event is serving as the official West Coast celebration of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, but organizers said U.S. military participation is paused after Republican and Democratic members of Congress could not reach a budget deal before a deadline at the end of the day Tuesday.
Instead, ships from Canada and Colombia will visit the Bay Area, and the San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show presented by United will feature the Canadian Snowbirds, a flight demonstration team returning to the region for the first time since 2017.
Other events will include waterfront celebrations, including concerts at Fisherman’s Wharf, though David Cruise, spokesperson for the San Francisco Fleet Week organization, said they are “reassessing events individually” given the fluidity of federal negotiations and funding decisions.
Cruise noted that this is not the first time Fleet Week has been affected by a federal government shutdown, with numerous events in 2013 also canceled due to a shutdown.
“We have been through this before, and we remain optimistic that, if a resolution is reached in time, our military sea service partners will be able to join us,” he said.
More information about San Francisco Fleet Week can be found at fleetweeksf.org.
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