The National WWII Museum Celebrates Living History with Air, Sea & Land Festival
Three-day festival to feature WWII veterans, rare aircraft and flamethrower demonstrations

NEW ORLEANS (September 27, 2018) – On October 12-14,  The National WWII Museum, Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation will once again host the WWII Air, Sea & Land Festival at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport to honor the legacy of those who contributed to Allied victory during World War II. The Festival was born out of the former WWII AirPower Expo, which began in 2014, giving guests of all ages an immersive learning experience while getting an up-close, tactile look at beautifully restored vehicles from the war. 

The annual Festival welcomes over 15,000 visitors for a living history experience with wartime tales by WWII veterans from across the United States. This year’s event will feature battle discussions, 1940s musical performances and family-friendly activities including STEM-based obstacle courses, hands-on history exhibits and a WWII-themed photo station. Additional highlights include daily aerial demonstrations by rare WWII warbirds such as a B-25 Yellow Rose, a C-45 Expeditor, a P-51 Mustang and B-29 Superfortress “FIFI,” among others.

“The WWII Air, Sea & Land Festival is unique because it allows visitors to experience the war’s most iconic military equipment up close, while simultaneously giving them the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the WWII veterans who served in these very vehicles,” said Stephen J. Watson, President & CEO at The National WWII Museum. “We’re happy to offer free admission to WWII veterans and kids 12 and under once again this year, and I can’t wait to see their faces as they climb aboard some of the mighty machines of World War II.”

Making its Festival debut this year is the plane that led the D-Day invasion: “That’s All, Brother,” a C-47 transport plane that guided its formation into Normandy, France, dropping paratroopers at the beginning of what became the most important battle of the 20th century. “That’s All, Brother” returned to the skies for the first time in years after a lengthy restoration, courtesy of the CAF. It’s also a serendipitous meeting of a crucial component of the D-Day invasion and The National WWII Museum, which was founded as The National D-Day Museum in 2000.

Also new to the Festival this year is a flamethrower demonstration, from the Parris Island Living History Detachment, and a P-63, a rare WWII plane used by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which was the precursor to what we know as NASA today.

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

  • Discussions with award-winning WWII author Steve Snyder surrounding his 2014 novel, “Shot Down,” which recounts the heroic tale of Snyder’s father, Pilot Howard Snyder, and the B-17 Susan Ruth bomber crew that was shot down by German Fighters more than 70 years ago
  • Dockside tours of PT-305, the world’s only fully restored, combat-veteran patrol-torpedo boat
  • WWII vehicle demonstrations featuring more than a dozen WWII vehicles and aircraft
  • Louisiana National Guard tactical insertion demonstrations
  • Air Force Performance Lab Simulator
  • Noted air show announcer Luke Carrico

To plan your 2018 Festival experience, visit https://airsealandfest.com.

TICKET INFORMATION

Single-day and three-day all-access passes, general admission tickets, VIP Experience packages and WWII aircraft rides range in price from $20 – $210, and can be purchased in advance through the WWII Air, Sea & Land Festival website at www.airsealandfest.com or by phone at 504-528-1944. General admission tickets and single-day VIP passes will also be available at the entry gate each day. The Festival will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport, 6001 Stars and Stripes Blvd. #219, New Orleans, LA 70126.

WWII veterans and children 12 and under receive free admission. School groups and their chaperones, and other members of the military enjoy free admission on Friday, October 12. To register your student group, email youthprograms@nationalww2museum.org. For additional group pre-registration, contact Group Sales at 504-528-1944 X 222 to receive a discount. Registration deadline is October 5.

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today – so that future generations will know the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front. The 2018 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice™ awards ranks the Museum No.3 in the nation and No.8 in the world. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-528-1944 or visit nationalww2museum.org.

Commemorative Air Force

Collecting and flying warbirds for more than half a century, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is the largest flying museum in the world. The CAF is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to honoring American military aviation history through flight, exhibition and remembrance. The organization feels this is best accomplished by keeping the aircraft flying. The CAF has approximately 13,000 members and a fleet of more than 165 airplanes distributed throughout the country to units located in 26 states and four foreign countries for care and operation. Visit www.commemorativeairforce.org for more information.

Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation

Organized in August of 1988, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation (GNOSF) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to attract and manage sporting events that have a positive economic impact on the Greater New Orleans area. The GNOSF not only has attracted hundreds of sporting events to our area, but their coordinating efforts guarantee their success. With every event the GNOSF brings to the area, the beneficiaries of their efforts are wide in scope, including the hospitality industry; city, parish, and state taxes; the local business community; local youth; facilities; and the event organizers themselves. Visit www.gnosf.com for more information.

###

Keith M. Darcey
Public Relations Manager
The National WWII Museum
945 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Office: 504-528-1944 X 488
Cell: 504-250-2929

The National WWII Museum is ranked the #3 museum in the nation and #8 in the world by TripAdvisor users. Read visitor reviews at TripAdvisor.com.