2025s Best Night Airshow Lineups With Pyro and LED Wingtips

When the sun drops and the pyrotechnics ignite, airshows transform into something entirely different. The 2025 night airshow calendar features more fire, more drones, and more LED technology than ever before. Here’s where to see the best after-dark aviation.

The Technology Driving Night Shows

Modern night airshows deploy three primary spectacle technologies:

Pyrotechnic systems: Wing-mounted firework launchers that create trailing sparks, ground-impact effects, and coordinated aerial detonations. The leading providers (Fireflies, Aerobatic Solutions) have refined these systems to be both spectacular and safe.

LED light arrays: Programmable LED strips along wings, fuselages, and empennages create patterns, color transitions, and synchronized displays. The best systems offer 16.7 million colors and can be programmed to music.

Flame effects: Afterburner-simulation systems and dedicated flame throwers create dramatic fire trails. Matt Younkin’s Twin Beech and several aerobatic jets incorporate genuine flame generators.

2025’s Must-See Night Lineups

EAA AirVenture (Oshkosh, WI) – July: The Saturday night airshow remains the gold standard. Expect aerobatic performances with full pyrotechnic loads, drone swarms, and the traditional fireworks finale. The combination of 500,000 aviation enthusiasts and Wisconsin summer nights creates unmatched atmosphere.

Sun ‘n Fun (Lakeland, FL) – April: Florida’s premier spring show has expanded its night programming to compete with Oshkosh. The Night Air Show features regional performers with pyro systems plus drone integration.

California Capital Airshow (Sacramento, CA) – September: The twilight show transitions into full darkness performances, with west coast performers bringing unique acts not commonly seen at eastern shows.

Wings Over Houston (Houston, TX) – October: Texas does everything bigger, including night pyrotechnics. The CAF’s twilight warbird performances leading into modern jets with flame effects is a highlight.

The Signature Acts

Fireflies Team: Multiple aircraft flying synchronized LED patterns while dispensing pyrotechnics. Their “flag” formation is a crowd favorite.

Matt Younkin (Twin Beech): The most unusual night act – a vintage Beech 18 with wingtip flame generators creating impossible fire patterns.

Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes: Wing-walking combined with pyrotechnics. Teresa performs on the wing while Gene flies through firework barrages.

Rob Holland: His MXS-RH deploys one of the most sophisticated LED/pyro combinations in the industry, performing maneuvers that seem impossible at night.

Photography at Night Shows

Night airshows demand different techniques:

• ISO 3200-12800 (modern sensors handle this cleanly)
• Aperture wide open (f/2.8-5.6 depending on your lens)
• Shutter speeds 1/250-1/500 to freeze motion while capturing light trails
• Manual focus – autofocus struggles with point-light sources against dark sky

The best images often use slightly slower shutters (1/60-1/125) to create intentional motion blur of pyrotechnic trails while aircraft remains relatively sharp.

Viewing Strategies

Unlike daytime shows where you want sun positioning, night performances are about unobstructed sky views. Show center becomes optimal because you’re watching light paintings against dark canvas.

Bring binoculars – the LED patterns and distant pyrotechnics reveal details invisible to naked eyes at crowd distance. Some enthusiasts bring night-vision optics for tracking aircraft between illuminated sequences.

The Experience Factor

What makes night shows special isn’t just the visuals – it’s the atmosphere. Temperatures drop, crowds mellow, and there’s something primal about watching fire trace across the dark sky. Bring chairs, bring patience, and bring wonder. This is airshow magic at its purest.