LA Fleet Week 2026 at USS Iowa Museum

The Battleship USS Iowa Museum and the Port of Los Angeles opened LA Fleet Week 2026 on Friday, May 22, with four days of free public events along the San Pedro waterfront. The annual Memorial Day weekend program is centered around the Battleship IOWA and surrounding port area, with active-duty ship tours, military displays, aircraft flyovers and community events scheduled through Monday, May 25. Organizers describe it as Southern California’s largest free Memorial Day weekend celebration, and the Port of Los Angeles said this year marks the event’s 10th year at the harbor. ### When is the public event actually running? Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25, are the main public festival and ship-tour dates, with posted hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at the Battleship USS Iowa Museum site. A broader set of neighborhood activations began on Tuesday, May 19, and continue through Memorial Day, according to the official LA Fleet Week and Pacific Battleship Center event pages. (pacificbattleship.com) The Port of Los Angeles said in a May 13 release that the free waterfront event will be held May 22-25. The same release said the 2026 edition will pay special tribute to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. ### Where is LA Fleet Week based this year? San Pedro is the main hub for the event, with activities staged at the Port of Los Angeles and centered around the Battleship USS Iowa at 250 South Harbor Boulevard. (pacificbattleship.com) The official event listing names the Battleship USS Iowa Museum as the host location for the public program. LA Fleet Week is a program of the Pacific Battleship Center, the nonprofit that also operates the Battleship IOWA and the National Museum of the Surface Navy project, according to the event’s home page. (portoflosangeles.org) America250’s event listing says the Pacific Battleship IOWA is hosting the 10th annual LA Fleet Week at the Port of Los Angeles. ### What can visitors do once they get there? Active-duty ship tours are one of the main draws, with the official event page advertising tours of Navy, Coast Guard and Marine vessels from May 22-25. (pacificbattleship.com) The same page lists demonstrations, exhibits, aircraft flyovers and community activities as part of the public program. Discover Los Angeles’ event listing says the expo next to Battleship IOWA includes military displays, equipment demonstrations, live entertainment, aircraft flyovers, the Galley Wars culinary competition, dodgeball and Military Has Talent. (lafleetweek.com) A San Pedro Today listing for Saturday also advertised a music festival from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring Identity Theft and Yachty by Nature. (pacificbattleship.com) ### How do ship tours work this year? Ship tours are operating with same-day access and a virtual queue system, according to local coverage citing organizer guidance and official logistics. Visitors boarding active-duty ships should expect security screening and should bring a valid government-issued photo ID, according to those published event instructions. (discoverlosangeles.com) The official LA Fleet Week and Battleship USS Iowa pages direct visitors to check posted schedules and tour details online because ship availability and event timing can change. KTLA reported that one of the visiting vessels this year is a U.S. Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship at the Port of Los Angeles. ### Why is 2026 being presented differently? The Port of Los Angeles said this year’s event will serve as a tribute tied to the approaching 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. (hoodline.com) NBC Los Angeles and America250 event materials also describe LA Fleet Week 2026 as an opening point for Southern California’s America250 programming. (pacificbattleship.com) DVIDS published images from a May 20 opening ceremony on the Battleship USS Iowa Museum and described the 2026 event as Los Angeles Fleet Week’s 10th year. That places this year’s public festival inside a broader commemorative frame while keeping the core format — ship tours, waterfront exhibits and military-community events — in place. (portoflosangeles.org) ### Where should visitors check before heading down? The Battleship USS Iowa Museum event page and the main LA Fleet Week site are carrying schedules, tour details and visitor information for the May 22-25 run. The Port of Los Angeles release and local event listings also point visitors to online updates for transportation, parking, shuttle service and any day-of changes to ship access. (dvidshub.net) Monday, May 25, is the final day of the public festival and ship tours, with posted hours again running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the San Pedro waterfront. Organizers say the latest logistics and schedule information will remain on the official event pages as the Memorial Day weekend program continues. (pacificbattleship.com)