Lakeland's SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo returns with 'Red, White, and Blue 52' theme for America's 250th birthday

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Published  April 14, 2026 7:16pm EDT
FOX 13 News
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Sun 'N Fun aerospace expo begins

The Navy Thunderbirds highlight this year's Sun 'N Fun expo at Lakeland Linder Airport. Fox 13's Carla Bayron reports.

The Brief

    • The 52nd annual SUN ’n FUN Aerospace Expo returns in Lakeland with the "Red, White and Blue 52" theme, featuring air shows, exhibits and more than 550 exhibitors and 3,000 aircraft.
    • Attendance and interest are up, with ticket sales rising 25% over last year’s 210,000 visitors, alongside expanded programming including concerts and daily air shows.
    • Organizers are planning major long-term upgrades to the site as airport traffic grows, while proceeds continue funding aerospace education through the Aerospace Center for Excellence.

LAKELAND, Fla. - The 52nd annual SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo, the second-largest air show in the country, returns to Lakeland with lots of sun, classic air shows, new airplanes and exhibits.

The theme this year is "Red, White, and Blue 52," because it is America's 250th birthday this Fourth of July.

By the numbers:

Last year's attendance was 210,000, and ticket sales this year are up 25% compared to last year. There are more than 550 exhibitors and more than 3,000 airplanes.

The president and CEO of SUN 'n FUN, Gene Conrad, says that in the next 15 to 20 years, the site plan will be completely reimagined.

"The airport is growing. It is the 90th busiest as far as air traffic," Conrad said. "This new runway will impact our current site significantly. We're ready for it; we've done the planning and partnered with the airport and Visit Central Florida, and we're ready to kick this off. Probably in the next three to four years, you'll see new exhibit buildings here on our site."

Big picture view:

SUN 'n FUN is a volunteer organization. Every year, the net proceeds go back into the Aerospace Center for Excellence, which funds its mission for the other 51 weeks of the year, to engage and educate the next generation of aerospace professionals.

The United States Air Force Thunderbirds were supposed to perform at 1 p.m., but there was a bit of a delay, so they arrived around 3 p.m. FOX 13 was able to talk with Alex Prevendar, the commander and "number one," which means he gets to fly out front and lead the team around while they do the air demonstration. He is also responsible for 135 team members.

What they're saying:

It was Prevendar’s first time attending SUN 'n FUN, and he says he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"If you walk around Disney, you have a smile on your face the whole time," Prevendar said. "Because I'm leading, I get to look outside; we are inspired ourselves."

There will be an opening night concert at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by daily air shows for the rest of the week and night shows on Wednesday and Saturday.

What's next:

The event runs until Sunday, April 19.

Kids 12 years old and under get in free.

The Source: This article was written with information from interviews with SUN 'n FUN staff and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds commander.

Lakeland