Jones Beach drone show May 24

Jones Beach is doing something pretty different this Memorial Day weekend. The usual air-show spot is being handed to a nighttime drone show on Sunday, May 24, 2026, while the big FourLeaf Air Show slides to July 5 and 6 instead. That sounds like a simple calendar tweak, but it changes what the weekend actually feels like — less thunder overhead, more family-event energy on the sand, and a cleaner tie-in to New York’s America250 programming. Basically, Memorial Day at Jones Beach is becoming a history-and-light-show weekend, not an aviation weekend. (governor.ny.gov) ### Wait — what exactly changed? The core change is the Memorial Day slot. For years, Jones Beach’s signature holiday draw was the air show. In 2026, New York State moved the FourLeaf Air Show to Sunday, July 5, and Monday, July 6, as part of the U.S. 250th-birthday celebration. That left Memorial Day weekend open for a different kind of spectacle — a first-ever patriotic drone show over the Atlantic. (governor.ny.gov) ### Why did the air show move? The short answer is America250. The state tied the 2026 FourLeaf Air Show to Fourth of July weekend, and the shift lines up with Fleet Week New York moving off its usual Memorial Day timing too. So this is not a cancellation story. It is a deliberate shuffle — moving the loudest, biggest aviation event into the most patriotic weekend of the summer. (governor.ny.gov) ### So what happens on May 24? Sunday, May 24 is the drone-show night, and the event runs as part of a broader Jones Beach Memorial Day program. New York’s tourism and parks material describes patriotic drone displays in front of the Central Mall, plus Revolutionary War reenactors, (governor.ny.gov)the drone-show window at roughly 6 p.m. to about 9:45 or 10 p.m. and places activity around Fields 1 and 2. (iloveny.com) ### Is this just a one-off gimmick? Not really. It fits a broader state plan to turn Jones Beach into one of New York’s most visible America250 stages. Memorial Day weekend becomes the opening act — drone show, reenactors, patriotic programming. Then July Fourth weekend gets the blockbuster version with (iloveny.com)ear. (iloveny.com) ### Why does a drone show make sense here? Because it gives the park a big nighttime draw without trying to imitate the air show beat for beat. A drone show can still do the patriotic spectacle thing, but it also works better with the historical programming New York is stacking around America250. And tur(iloveny.com) during the event, which tells you the state expects a real crowd. (iloveny.com) ### What does this mean for visitors? If you usually plan Jones Beach around the Memorial Day air show, 2026 needs a reset. May 24 is the drone-show weekend. July 5 and 6 are the air-show dates. That matters for traffic, timing, and expectations. The May trip looks more like a beach day that rolls into an evening event. The July trip is the full aviation weekend again — with the Blue Angels back in the headline spot. (governor.ny.gov) ### Is the beach itself open by then? Yes. Jones Beach’s state park page shows seasonal operations starting around Memorial Day weekend, with Central Mall and several beach areas opening on holiday schedules in late May. So the drone show lands right as the park shifts into summer mode. (parks.ny.gov) ### Bottom line The real story is not that Jones Beach lost its air show. It split the summer in two. Memorial Day gets a first-ever patriotic drone show on May 24. Fourth of July weekend gets the traditional air-show muscle. If you show up expecting jets in May, you’ll miss the point — 2026 is built around lights first, then planes. (governor.ny. ([parks.ny.gov)ir-show-jones-beach-will-take-place-july-4th-weekend))