The Lethbridge International Airshow will take place in YQL Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30, 2023. (Photo: S. Jones on February 17, 2023)

By Justin Goulet & Sarah Jones

Lethbridge International Air Show to return to YQL in 2023

Feb 18, 2023 | 7:15 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge International Airshow will return to the city in 2023.

Pilots will perform high in the sky above Lethbridge on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30, 2023.

President of the Lethbridge International Airshow Association (LIASA) Dallas Harty said after the summer 2022 event, the plan was to return to Lethbridge for another show in 2024. However, it was decided to present the show in 2023 instead, to avoid any conflict with celebrations for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 100^th anniversary in 2024.

He said having the show in 2023 will also avoid competition with other performances taking place across Western Canada in 2024.

“Years ago, we had been encouraged to do our show every other year because of assets,” Harty noted.

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Organizers soon discovered that, “The even years are overloaded with airshows, and especially in 2024 with the 100^th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The assets, both military and civilian, are being stretched way too far. If we tried to move forward with the show in 2024, to try and get civilian and military [pilots and aircraft] was going to be a massive struggle.”

BUSY PLANNING

Harty said plans are well underway for the summer showcase.

“We already have booked in excess of $100,000 in civilian performers,” Harty said during an announcement in Lethbridge on Friday, February 17, 2023.

Harty said attendees will have the opportunity to meet many of the pilots. “We’re going to have some pretty amazing aerial performers this year,” he added.

“We’ve actually got a couple of them that will be moving their aircraft into the static line and the crowd can actually interact with the pilot and their aircraft right there on the static line.”

One of the performers set to be in Lethbridge is pilot Dan Reeves, who said the 2022 showcase was a fulfilling experience.

Reeves said, “A lot of our performers, we judge a show and our attendance by the quality of the show and how things are set up, and I can say that Lethbridge, by and large, has been one of the great shows that we’ve been to and I know that tradition is going to continue.”

Reeves, who is based out of Winnipeg, hopes the show can potentially inspire some attendees to embark on a career in aviation. He said, “There’s a whole level of support that we drastically need, not just in Canada but actually throughout the world right now. There’s a huge shortage of pilots.”

He added, “If we can influence and instill a little bit of ‘awe’ and some dreams in some young folks, that’s made my day, because I like to say my fan base is four to 11-year-olds, so we have lots of fun with those kids, and an airshow just helps push that along.”

The Lethbridge International Airshow will take place at the Lethbridge Airport from July 29 to 30, 2023.

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