EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the “2026 Best Air Show” in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The honor was announced May 7 during National Travel and Tourism Week — and it marks only the second time the world’s largest aviation gathering has claimed the title. The first was a nail-biting win in 2016, decided nose to nose until hours before voting closed. The recognition comes on the heels of a record-shattering 2025 edition that drew 704,000 visitors from more than 90 countries, surpassing the previous record of 686,000 set just one year earlier.
Voting ran for roughly a month through late April. Nominees were selected by a panel of USA Today industry experts and 10Best editors. AirVenture edged out the field — a fitting result for an event that logged 16,246 aircraft operations at Wittman Regional Airport across eleven days in 2025, averaging roughly 108 takeoffs and landings per hour whenever the field was open.
Record Attendance, Record Economic Weight
The 2025 numbers weren’t just a headcount milestone. A University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economic impact study places AirVenture’s annual value to the Fox Valley region at $257 million — up from $170 million in a comparable 2017 study — supporting 2,092 full- and part-time jobs across the region. More than 70 percent of attendees travel from outside Wisconsin, injecting fresh dollars into the local economy every July. More than 10,000 aircraft flew into Wittman for the 2025 show, with 2,543 showplanes on static display across multiple categories including vintage, warbird, homebuilt, ultralight/light, aerobatic, seaplane/amphibian, rotorcraft, and balloon.
“Every year, our team strives to make EAA AirVenture an experience unlike any other aviation event in the world. … This recognition reflects how what we call ‘Aviation’s Family Reunion’ creates an event that brings together aircraft and people in a way that is unmatched anywhere in the world. It’s a credit to our people, including the thousands of volunteers that make EAA AirVenture possible.” — Rick Larsen, EAA Vice President of Communities and Member Programs
AirVenture 2026 — What’s Confirmed for July 20–26
The 73rd annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh runs July 20–26 at Wittman Regional Airport. Nine air shows across seven days, including night shows on July 22 and July 25. The central theme is Celebrating the Freedom of Flight, tying the week’s programming to America’s 250th anniversary.
On the military side, both the USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team and F-22 Raptor Demo Team are confirmed — joined by U.S. Air Force and Navy F-35 variants and a C-17 Globemaster III demonstration. U.S. Pacific Air Forces is the featured command for 2026, with a Hawaii Air National Guard C-17 slated for Boeing Plaza, marking 20 years of the type in Hawaii. The U.S. Army Golden Knights and the Red Bull Air Force round out the parachute contingent.
The international headliner is The Flying Bulls out of Austria, bringing their P-38 Lightning and DC-6 for what EAA confirms will be the team’s only public U.S. appearance of the year. Rumor on the circuit puts at least three P-38s total on the Oshkosh flightline — a genuinely rare convergence for a type with fewer than a handful of airworthy examples worldwide.
Warbird fans have additional reason to book early. B-29 Superfortress Doc returns for Boeing Plaza display July 24–26, with flight experiences operating out of Appleton International Airport July 20–23. Australian aerobatic star Paul Bennet, a solo RV-8 routine from Ken Rieder, Bernie Vasquez in a P-47 Thunderbolt, and Matt Younkin flying his twin Beech 18 are also confirmed.
“Each year, we build the air show roster for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh based on welcoming some of the best air show performers in the world… This year the air shows will also be celebrating America’s 250th birthday and already feature the best of the best, with even more confirmations to come.” — Rick Larsen, EAA VP of Communities and Member Programs
Tickets and What’s Next
Early-bird advance tickets are available through June 15, 2026. Youth 18 and under are admitted free, courtesy of The Boeing Company. The performer roster is still growing, and America 250 programming has yet to be fully detailed — additional announcements are expected in the weeks ahead of the July 20 opening day at Wittman.
For tickets and the latest performer confirmations, visit eaa.org/airventure.
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