2020 Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show


Lakeland, Florida:  After seeing the annual Sun 'n Fun Fly-in cancelled because of COVID-19, the skies over Lakeland Linder International Airport came to life with the sound of radial and jet engines as they hosted the Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show.  The show featured all things aviation from hot air balloons to the US Air Force's latest jet fighter and everything in between.

The two day event kicked off on Friday with qualifying for the Central Florida Classic Short Takeoff/Landing competition which tested pilots on how little runway they can use to takeoff and land. The car show then kicked off with a parade and display of cars from all classes.  The show then went airborne with an evening show featuring the F-16 Viper Demo Team, the F-35A Lightning II Demo Team, the US Army Black Daggers and Paradigm. Once the show was over, the hot air balloons took center stage with a nighttime balloon glow. Day one of the show ended with a classic holiday movie under the stars, A Christmas Vacation. 

Saturday morning kicked off with a 5K run followed by a launch of hot air balloons into the Central Florida sky.   Then the STOL competition picked back up with the competition finals to crown a STOL champion.  The classic cars and plane displays were open for spectators to browse while they waited for the afternoon air show.  The afternoon air show was featured the F-16, F-35 and Black Daggers performing their final performance of the shortened 2020 season.  The show also featured Gene McNeely in the T-6 and the Geico Skytypers.

The 2020 Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show was a much needed ending to a COVID shortened air show season.  While we still took precautions to stay safe, it was a great relief to have some normalcy and enjoy an afternoon of amazing flying performances.

Click on the photo above to view the 2020 Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show.

Location: Lakeland Linder International Airport, 3900 Don Emerson Dr, Lakeland, FL 33811, USA

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