The Atlantic City Airshow, a very popular summer event at the Jersey Shore, has been canceled. This comes months after organizers worked to save the event and now they say a major act pulled out which led to the cancelation. NBC10’s Aaron Baskerville spoke to businesses in the area about what this means for them.
The upcoming Atlantic City Airshow has been canceled due to a “major act withdrawing,” officials announced Wednesday.
The Greater Atlantic City Chamber, Visit Atlantic City and the South Jersey Transportation Authority made the announcement in a joint statement.
“We regret to announce the cancellation of the 2024 Visit Atlantic City Airshow due to a major act withdrawing from the Airshow. This decision was not made lightly, and we understand the disappointment it may cause,” a spokesperson wrote. “We extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all who have supported this event over the past number of years.”
Officials did not reveal which act withdrew from the show.
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The decision was made after the South Jersey Transportation Authority provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to save the 2024 show earlier this year. Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said it costs around $300,000 to put on the show.
The 2024 show – which was dubbed “A Salute to Those Who Serve” – was scheduled to take place on Aug. 13 and Aug. 14. Officials said the show leads to an estimated $50 million impact despite most of the event being free to beachgoers.
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It's a sad day in Atlantic City according to business owners on the boardwalk. With the Airshow not happening in August, that means a big hit to the local economy.
"To lose that, that’s very discouraging. I don’t know what we can do to get it back, but it doesn’t feel good, it doesn’t sound good," Evan Dounoulis, owner of the restaurant Forno, said.
Atlantic City mayor Marty Small told NBC10 the show brings in more than 500,000 people over the two days in August. He says that leads to a $50 million dollar economic boom for the area.
“We’re sorry to hear the news the Airshow won’t be happening this Summer. The Small administration stepped up to do everything that needed to be done to save the Airshow earlier this year, but in the end this is a situation beyond the city’s control," his administration said in a statement.
One resident even explained how much this hurts.
"It's going to take a major hit for the city. It’s bad enough it’s trying to improve things. This really hurt, really hurt," William Williamson said.
The excitement, and roar of the planes will be absent next month. Fans are hoping it’s only for one year.
