Every October, the Bay Area splits into two camps. One camp drops everything and runs to the water the moment the first Blue Angel crosses the Golden Gate. The other camp closes the windows, turns up the music, and mutters about the noise. This weekend, both camps are about to have the best and worst few days of their year, because San Francisco Fleet Week is here.
We are a florist, not an event organizer, so we will not pretend to be the schedule. But Fleet Week is one of the most fun weekends on the Bay Area calendar, and flowers fit in more places than you would think. Here is what is happening, and how to make a day of it.
A note: we have no business relationship with Fleet Week or its organizers. The details below come from published event schedules. Times and locations can change, so confirm the day-of schedule at fleetweeksf.org before you head out.
📅 The Weekend at a Glance
- Fleet Week overall: October 4–12, with free public tours of visiting Navy and Coast Guard ships on the Embarcadero piers on several days from October 7 to 12 (first come, first served, with security screening; check the schedule for your day).
- Thursday, October 8: The Blue Angels typically fly practice and survey flights over the city the day before the show, usually in the afternoon. Expect to see and hear them if you are anywhere near the northern waterfront.
- Friday, October 9: The Parade of Ships, from about 11 a.m. to noon, followed by the first day of the air show.
- Friday–Sunday, October 9–11: The air show, roughly noon to 4 p.m. each day, between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, with the Blue Angels headlining. Viewing from public waterfront areas is free, and Marina Green is the main viewing area.
- Saturday–Sunday, October 10–11: Fleet Fest at Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 27, with music, exhibits, and food trucks.
💙 Blue and Gold, in October
The Blue Angels fly in blue and gold, which are also the Navy’s colors, and it happens that blue and gold are very easy to do in autumn. A blue-and-gold bouquet is simple: gold and yellow chrysanthemums, sunflowers, or golden zinnias alongside blue hydrangea, delphinium, or any soft blue-toned flower we have that week. Add some greenery and a touch of white, and you have a centerpiece that looks like it was planned for the day. Our guide to mums is a good place to start, and our July post on red, white, and blue flowers has a few of the same table ideas.
🏠 Hosting a Viewing Party
If you are watching from a rooftop, a deck, or a window with a view of the bay, here is how to dress the table:
- Go low and heavy. A San Francisco waterfront is windy, and a tall, light vase is an accident waiting to happen. Use a low, wide bowl or a heavy ceramic pot, and keep stems short. Our guide to outdoor arrangements and microclimates goes into more detail.
- Keep the sky clear. At an air show, nobody is looking at the table. Put the flowers where they will not block the view, such as the food table or the entry, and not on the railing.
- Watch the afternoon sun. The show runs from noon to 4 p.m., and a deck in direct sun can be hard on cut flowers. Keep the arrangement indoors or in shade until guests arrive, and make sure the vase has water.
- Choose sturdy flowers. Chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and zinnias hold up better in a breeze than delicate stems.
- Skip candles outside. Between the wind and the crowd, it is not worth it.
🧳 Guests in Town
Plenty of people fly in for Fleet Week, from family to friends who want to see the Blue Angels in person. A bouquet waiting in a hotel room is a lovely welcome, and an easy one to arrange. Send us the guest’s name, the hotel, and the check-in date, and choose an arrival that matches their travel day. If your guest is arriving Thursday or Friday, a Wednesday or Thursday delivery is a good fit. Hotels have their own front-desk procedures for receiving flowers, so it helps to confirm with the hotel when you can.
If someone you know is a sailor or Marine in town for the week, sending flowers to a pier or a ship is not something we would promise. Ship tours involve security screening, and the crews are busy. Send them to where the person is staying, or to a family member’s home, and let the card say the rest.
🚚 Delivery Timing Near the Waterfront
The air show runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and streets around Marina Green, Fisherman’s Wharf, and North Beach fill up with people. If you are ordering for delivery to the northern waterfront on those days, we suggest a morning delivery window, before the crowds arrive. Our guide to Bay Area microclimates and delivery timing explains why timing matters across the region. We deliver to San Francisco, Marin, Oakland, and Alameda, where the USS Hornet keeps the Navy tradition alive on the East Bay side.
🕊️ For Anyone Thinking of Someone Who Served
Fleet Week has a quieter side, too. On Thursday, October 8, the Marine Corps 1st Marine Division Band performs an “Honor Our Fallen” concert at the Marines’ Memorial Theatre, a free event with reservations required. If the week brings someone to mind, our guide to the San Francisco National Cemetery at the Presidio covers what to bring and what lasts. Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11.
🌤️ A Word on the Weather
October is often one of the clearest and warmest stretches of the Bay Area year, but fog and wind are always possible near the water, and the temperature at Marina Green can be very different from the temperature in the East Bay. Bring layers, and let the flowers stay inside until the sun is where you want it. Our guide to the science of Bay Area fog explains why.
🧡 The Short Version
Whether you are on the Marina Green lawn, a rooftop in Russian Hill, or a couch with the windows closed, there is a flower for it. Go low, go sturdy, go blue and gold, and keep your delivery in the morning. Then look up.