Los Angeles’ annual, multi-day celebration of our nation’s Sea Services, announced May 14th a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier will participate in LA Fleet Week 2024, marking 13 years since the last time an aircraft carrier visited Los Angeles and was available for public tours. LA Fleet Week, the largest Memorial Day weekend event in Los Angeles, will host events and activities throughout the Los Angeles area from May 22-27, 2024, culminating with the LA Fleet Week Expo and ship tours on the L.A. Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro open to the public from May 24-27, 2024.
LA Fleet Week will also bring thousands of Navy sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and soldiers to experience Los Angeles as they participate in a variety of community events, and the Navy and Marine Corps bands play at venues throughout the area. The event will culminate on Memorial Day, May 27, with a solemn ceremony to honor those who lost their lives in the defense of our country. The Memorial Day Observance will be held on the LA Fleet Week Expo main stage in the event footprint adjacent to Battleship IOWA at 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro.
Free Public Tours of Active Duty Ships
Free tours of the aircraft carrier will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily from Friday, May 24, through Sunday, May 26, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Memorial Day, May 27. The aircraft carrier will be berthed in San Pedro’s Outer Harbor and the only way to go aboard will be to catch a shuttle bus from the main LA Fleet Week EXPO footprint. A Coast Guard cutter will also be available for tours in the Downtown Harbor adjacent to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.
Reservations for ship tours are not required and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. All adults must present a valid government-issued I.D. (state I.D. card, drivers license or passport) to take Navy ship tours. Non-US citizens must show valid passports and will be subject to a brief additional screening before boarding the vessels. Photocopies of I.D.s will not be accepted. Additional information regarding ship tours, including tour requirements and restrictions, is available on the LA Fleet Week website and should be reviewed before attending.
LA Fleet Week Expo Features Displays, Activities, and Events for the Entire Family
Located in the footprint next to the historic Battleship USS IOWA Museum, the LA Fleet Week Expo will be open to the general public 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from Friday, May 24, to Monday, May 27. Free to the public, the Expo will provide a variety of activities and exhibits that highlight and celebrate the nation’s military services and the people who serve. Events will include: military displays and equipment demonstrations, live entertainment, aircraft flyovers, the annual Galley Wars culinary cook-off competition between culinary specialists from the five military service branches, and dodgeball and Military Has Talent competitions. Dining options will be provided by Vicky’s Doghouse Café aboard Battleship IOWA and a variety of popular food trucks.
Military Members to Engage with the Public and Give Back to LA-area Communities
LA Fleet Week Neighborhood Activations will introduce visiting servicemembers to the public and organizations in various Los Angeles and Orange Counties cities through public engagements, community relations projects, and outreach activities. Navy and Marine Corps bands will perform at various venues in the Neighborhood Activation cities of Los Angeles, Fullerton, and Venice. Servicemembers will thank local communities for their support through several community relations projects including volunteering at a build site for Habitat for Humanity, a beach clean-up in Venice, and facility improvement project for the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center. As LA Fleet Week comes to a close on Memorial Day, 500 sailors will gather and walk across the iconic Sixth Street Bridge in Downtown Los Angeles as a Memorial Day salute.
Visit the LA Fleet Week website for the schedule of events and frequently asked questions.