Where to Watch the Blue Angels From Marin (and Why We’re Not on Our Boat This Year)

By Melissa DiVita, REALTOR®, Compass · DRE #01387955 · Fourth-generation Marin native, in real estate since 2003

The short answer: the best seat for the Blue Angels is on the water, between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. If you don’t have a boat (or yours won’t start), the Tiburon and Belvedere waterfront, the Sausalito shoreline and the Marin Headlands all give you a great view from the Marin side, and Marina Green and Crissy Field are the classic spots in San Francisco.

Fleet Week weekend is one of my favorite Bay Area traditions. The jets start roaring overhead, the dog hides under the bed, and everyone in Marin starts asking the same question: where are you watching from?

The Blue Angels are back

Last year we didn’t get the Blue Angels at all. The government shutdown kept the Navy home, and the Canadian Snowbirds flew instead. They were great, but it wasn’t the same. This year the Blue Angels are back over the Bay for the 2026 air show, which also marks the team’s 80th anniversary and the country’s 250th birthday. The whole Bay felt it this weekend.

The Blue Angels aren’t the only stars, either. This year’s lineup includes the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, which flies a Heritage Flight alongside a World War II P-51 Mustang, and the Marine Corps F-35B, the fighter jet that can hover in place. If you’ve never heard an F-22 open up over the water, it rattles your chest.

Why we’re not on our boat this year

We live in Paradise Cay, and we have a 60-foot dock right behind the house. Most years that means we watch Fleet Week from the best seat in the house: the San Francisco Bay itself. You motor out, find your spot among hundreds of other boats, and the jets scream right over your head.

This year? Engine problems. You know the saying: the two happiest days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. My husband prefers the other version: the best part of boat ownership is having a friend with a boat.

So we’re taking the show to the deck of the San Francisco Yacht Club in Belvedere, pending no fog. Anyone who has lived here knows that last part matters. Fleet Week is in October, which is usually our clearest weather, but the fog doesn’t always read the schedule. (I wrote about how much a few hundred feet can change the weather in Fog, Wind and Afternoon Sun.)

My favorite places to watch from Marin

• A yacht club deck in Belvedere or Tiburon. If you’re a member or have a friend who is, this is as close to being on a boat as it gets, with a drink in your hand and no engine to worry about. More on Marin’s clubs in my on-the-water guide and clubs guide.
• The Tiburon waterfront. Main Street and the shoreline face Angel Island and the city. Grab lunch on a deck downtown and watch the jets bank over the water.
• Angel Island. Take the ferry from Tiburon and find a spot along the island facing the Golden Gate. It feels like being in the middle of the show.
• Sausalito. The waterfront along Bridgeway looks right across to the city. Easy to make a day of it, but go early. Parking fills up.
• The Marin Headlands. Big, dramatic views of the bridge and the city, if you can find parking and the fog stays offshore.

If you’re watching from San Francisco

• Marina Green is the center of the show, with the official viewing area and the biggest crowds.
• Crissy Field gives you more room to spread out a blanket, with the bridge right there.
• Fort Mason, Aquatic Park and the hills of Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill all have great angles, and a rooftop with friends is hard to beat.

What this has to do with living in Marin

I grew up here, and Fleet Week is one of those days that reminds me why people pay to live near the water. A lot of my buyers moving from San Francisco or out of state ask me about waterfront living. Here’s what I tell them:

• A private dock is a lifestyle, and it’s also a responsibility. Homes with deep-water docks in places like Paradise Cay, the Belvedere Lagoon and parts of Tiburon let you be on the Bay in minutes. Docks and boats need upkeep, and as we’re learning this weekend, they don’t always cooperate.
• Not every water view is the same. Some homes look at the Golden Gate and the city, which is where the air show happens. Others face Richardson Bay or the North Bay. If watching the Bay’s big events matters to you, tell me early so we look at the right side of the peninsula.
• Wind and fog matter on the water. Our first house in Paradise Cay was beautiful and very windy. A home a short distance away can be calmer and sunnier. I’ll walk you through it.
• You don’t need a boat to enjoy the Bay. With the Tiburon ferry, the yacht clubs and the waterfront restaurants, you can be part of days like this without owning one. Sometimes that’s the smartest move of all.

Fleet Week is just one of the traditions that make Marin feel like home. You’ll find more in my Marin events and traditions guide.

Quick answers

Where is the best place to watch the Blue Angels from Marin? The Tiburon and Belvedere waterfront, Angel Island, Sausalito and the Marin Headlands all have views of the air show over the Bay. A yacht club deck or a boat on the water is the best seat of all.

When is Fleet Week in San Francisco? Fleet Week is held every October. In 2026 the air show ran October 9 to 11, with the Blue Angels headlining.

Why weren’t the Blue Angels at Fleet Week last year? The 2025 government shutdown kept the Blue Angels and U.S. Navy ships from taking part. The Canadian Snowbirds performed instead.

Can fog cancel the Blue Angels? Low fog and clouds can change or shorten the performance, so it’s worth checking conditions before you head out.

Are there Marin homes with private boat docks? Yes. Paradise Cay, the Belvedere Lagoon and parts of Tiburon have homes with private docks on the Bay.

Dreaming about a home on the water? Send me a note. I’ll tell you honestly which spots get the views, the calm water and the sun, and which ones just look good in the listing photos.