After seven years in Hangar 24’s hometown of Redlands, the brewery’s signature AirFest event is jetting off this May to San Bernardino.
The decision to combine the eighth Hangar 24 AirFest with the SBD Fest at San Bernardino International Airport was not made easily, said Hangar 24 Craft Brewing owner Ben Cook.
“It was an extremely difficult decision to move AirFest,” Cook wrote in an email. “Redlands is our home and the center of our community. We would’ve loved to keep the show in our backyard.” But, he said, he is excited about the opportunities at the new venue.
The “major factors” for the move, he said, included losing a 40-acre parking lot to endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rats, and a squabble over fee waivers the city gives to charity events.
In 2019 organizers had to scramble after kangaroo rats were found in the field used as a parking lot for the AirFest at the Redlands Municipal Airport. Federal wildlife officials eventually determined that three-quarters of the lot was still usable due to a lower density of rodents.
Also last year, the Redlands City Council considered rules to govern which events would have fees waived for city services such as police patrols and street closures. AirFest applied to waive more than $94,000 in fees. Hangar 24 Charities, AirFest organizer, gave away $52,000 in proceeds from the 2018 event. The 2019 proceeds were not immediately available.
A lesser factor was the event was outgrowing the smaller airport, Cook said.
“Being able to grow larger is, in fact, a benefit of partnering with SBD International, but wasn’t driving the decision,” Cook said.
Most of the aircraft that could not land at the Redlands airport in shows past landed in San Bernardino, though some were required to use March Air Reserve Base near Riverside due to military protocols.
The combined Hangar 24 SBD AirFest May 30-31 will be a change for the San Bernardino show as well. The event was heading into its sixth year and was traditionally held in the fall.
Mike Burrows, executive director of the San Bernardino International Airport, said in a news release that earlier dates work better for the facility.
“With the increased growth in activity at SBD International Airport, especially in the 4th Quarter which is peak holiday delivery season, the airport simply cannot accommodate a two-day festival like it has in years past,” he said in the release.
The event will be headlined by the U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II Demonstration Team and will also include a car show, live music and local craft beer.
Cook called the Lightning the country’s “new multi-role advanced stealth fight jet,” and said more events announcements will come.
Organizers say the event will combine the best of both shows: the festival style of SBD Fest, and the high energy of Hangar 24.
Information: hangar24airfest.com
———
©2020 the Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, Calif.)
Visit the Redlands Daily Facts (Redlands, Calif.) at www.redlandsdailyfacts.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
