With a retired Canadian Forces Snowbirds Tudor jet and CF-18 Hornet fighter jet serving as the backdrop in a hangar at Canadian Forces Base Borden on Tuesday, Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, along with other gathered dignitaries, officially announced the Barrie Airshow’s return this summer over Kempenfelt Bay.
The free show, which will take place June 7 and 8, features the popular and iconic Canadian Forces Snowbirds aviation demonstration team, also known as the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, as the headliners.
In addition, there will also be a free concert at Meridian Place followed by a drone show kicking off the weekend on June 6.
Also returning to the air show is the Northern Stars Aeroteam.
“It's just going to be an incredible community gathering where people can get together and enjoy all of the showcasing by the Canadian military,” Nuttall said at the event.
Nuttall noted that, in Canada and specifically in Barrie, people are very proud of the relationship that exists between the local military base and the city.
“We want to support our armed forces and want to support our Canadian military. We're proud to have them, proud of the work they do around the world and for some of that to be showcased here in the city of Barrie, I think it's just incredible,” he added.
Nuttall said the economic impact on the city last year was more than $11 million, bringing in money for the downtown businesses, as well as the city’s hotels and restaurants.
“It has a huge economic impact for us,” he said.
“It's great to see Tourism Barrie come in, and they help and support it as well … it's just the entire city coming together, and folks from around Ontario are coming into Barrie to check it out,” Nuttall added.
According to an impact report from city staff, the 2024 air show brought in $109,540 in cash sponsorship from local community members, while between both cash and in-kind contributions, city staff say they exceeded the fundraising target of $70,000.
Last year’s event included a $110,000 allocation from the municipal accommodation tax (MAT), plus vendor fees, for a total revenue commitment of $225,900.
In total, the event ended up costing the city $22,739, but that was mostly due to fuel and accommodation-related expenses being higher than anticipated, stated the report.
The popular event always draws a huge crowd over the two days — a total of 139,759 unique visitors attended the 2024 show — and this year is expected to be no exception.