Saturday tickets for the Terre Haute Air Show are officially gone. The Vigo County Sheriff's Office announced Saturday afternoon that the first of the two-day event's dates had sold out, directing anyone still hoping to attend toward Sunday, which still has tickets available online.
According to the Vigo County Sheriff's Office, Sunday's lineup includes the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, more than 35 warbirds, and what the announcement calls world-class performers, all building toward a fireworks and drone show finale as part of the full night show. Tickets remain available through terrehauteairshow.com. Officials expect a total crowd of more than 40,000 people across both days of the event at Terre Haute Regional Airport, according to local news reports, a scale that helps explain how Saturday filled up before the weekend even arrived.
A New After-Dark Format for 2026
This year's show introduced a significant change to how the event runs. Flying hours were shifted to 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., letting performances slide from golden hour into dusk and full darkness, per terrehaute.com. Rather than the traditional daytime-only format, the night shows combine illuminated aircraft with pyrotechnics for a different kind of spectacle after sunset.
The nighttime finale itself is being framed as more than just a typical air show closer. The combined drone and fireworks display is designed as a local celebration tied to America's 250th birthday, according to the Terre Haute Air Show's own event materials, aligning the Hulman Field program with broader regional events marking the semiquincentennial this year.
Traffic Restrictions Around Hulman Field
With tens of thousands of people converging on one airport, county officials moved early to head off gridlock. The Vigo County Sheriff's Office restricted State Road 42 west of Swalls Drive, Chamberlain Street south of Mine Avenue, and Hunt Street exclusively to air show traffic from noon to midnight on both August 22 and August 23, according to WBOW. Those restrictions apply across both days of the event, so residents near the airport should expect the same traffic pattern Sunday that shaped Saturday's arrivals.
The restrictions trace back to lessons learned from the airport's last two air shows. Terre Haute Regional Airport previously hosted air shows in 2018, which drew roughly 25,000 spectators but suffered severe traffic bottlenecks, and again in June 2024 featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, per the Sheriff's Office's own account of the airport's history. This year's tighter road controls and the sellout of Saturday's date suggest organizers are managing a considerably larger crowd than in past years.
What Sunday Ticket Holders Can Expect
Every general admission ticket for the 2026 show includes free parking, and children 12 and under get in free with a paid adult ticket, according to the event's own ticketing information. General admission adult prices were structured dynamically, starting around $28 in advance and climbing as the show dates approached and capacity filled, per AOPA Airports, a pricing model that likely accelerated Saturday's advance sales.
Beyond the Thunderbirds, Sunday's performer lineup includes the TITAN Aerobatic Team, the AeroShell Aerobatic Team, and the Tora Tora Tora historic reenactment group, according to AOPA Airports. Among the more than 35 warbirds on site is DOC, a restored Boeing B-29 Superfortress that is one of only two operational B-29 aircraft flying anywhere in the world, according to Doc's Friends, which has also offered paid flight experiences out of the airport around the event.
The show's military flying acts carry extra local resonance given Terre Haute Regional Airport's own history. The airport is home to the Indiana Air National Guard's 181st Intelligence Wing, which previously operated F-16 fighter jets as the 181st Fighter Wing until its flying mission ended in September 2007. With Saturday's tickets gone, Sunday now stands as the last chance for spectators to catch the Thunderbirds, the warbird lineup and the night finale in person at Hulman Field.
