SeaWorld San Diego is rolling out its annual Red, White & Blue Salute Saturday through Monday, Nov. 7-9, with a fireworks show, a daily flag ceremony and a handful of tributes built around local veterans and active-duty service members. The event folds Veterans Day programming into the park's regular operations, pairing military recognition with a fireworks show, as it did last year.
SeaWorld San Diego's Veterans Day event includes fireworks as part of the tribute. Navy Federal Credit Union is presenting the Veterans Day entertainment and activities tied to the event, according to SeaWorld's event page, which also lists fireworks as part of the tribute.
The weekend's centerpiece activities lean heavily on ceremony and remembrance. A special flag ceremony will take place daily at park opening at Explorer's Reef, continuing what the park's website calls a tradition of playing the national anthem that goes back more than 60 years. There's also a pre-show experience before Orca Encounter honoring veteran and active-duty guests, with Orca Encounter presentations recognizing military heroes held throughout the weekend.
Flags, Postcards and a Place to Reflect
Guests will also find a designated mailbox where they can write postcards to active-duty service members, a partnership with the Warrior Foundation noted on the park's site. A dedicated photo backdrop offers space to reflect on and honor military members who died in service, while American flags will be placed throughout the park to represent local veterans and their families. Families with younger kids can also find face painting at Wild Arctic, per San Diego Tourism Authority's event listing.
Active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces can also take advantage of SeaWorld's long-running Waves of Honor program, which provides free admission to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks as well as Sesame Place, the park's website states. Last year's edition of the Salute, which ran Nov. 8-10, included a similar lineup — a daily flag ceremony and national anthem, plus a Field of Honor built from 1,000 American flags, according to KPBS. That 2025 event also featured a Navy Federal Credit Union-sponsored fireworks show, and veterans, active-duty members and up to three family members received complimentary one-day admission through Waves of Honor.
Fireworks Future in Flux at the Park
The Veterans Day fireworks arrive as SeaWorld San Diego navigates a broader shift away from pyrotechnics. The park received approval on April 15 for a one-year pilot allowing up to 110 drone shows of 15 minutes each, described as the first program of its kind in California, the station notes in reporting from the same outlet. Over the summer, SeaWorld ran 12-minute immersive aerial drone displays in place of fireworks, with the lone exception coming on the Fourth of July. At an October City Council presentation, SeaWorld President Tyler Carter spoke about the park's plans.
More recently, the San Diego City Council voted unanimously in October to approve an update to SeaWorld's master plan that includes a requirement to substantially reduce nightly fireworks displays, the same outlet reported. The updated development plan recommends phasing out fireworks, a change that could mean fewer fireworks nights at the park.
