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April 13, 2026 at 10:51 AM EDT
Lakeland’s signature airshow boosts native companies whereas funding year-round training and profession applications for Polk County college students.
The Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo — one of many largest aviation occasions within the nation — returns to Lakeland Linder International Airport Tuesday, April 14, by means of Sunday, April 19. This 12 months marks the 52nd annual fly-in.
“This isn’t just a one-week event,” Aerospace Center for Excellence President and CEO Gene Conrad advised the City Commission on March 16. “This is the engine that powers everything we do the other 51 weeks of the year.”
Tickets to Sun n’ Fun will be bought online.
Lakeland’s largest annual occasion doesn’t simply draw crowds — it helps to fund a year-round pipeline of aviation training and workforce growth, translating into each financial influence and long-term neighborhood funding.
Economic influence — and past
In 2025, over the course of six days, Sun ’n Fun drew:
- 210,000 attendees
- Visitors from greater than 80 international locations
- Over 3,000 plane
- More than 6,000 plane operations
- 561 exhibitors and 500+ boards and workshops
The occasion additionally introduced in 702 media representatives and required a logistical footprint that included greater than 600 transportable restrooms and 24 bathe amenities.
On Saturday alone, greater than 18,000 vehicles have been parked on-site.
Conrad emphasised that the broader worth comes from how proceeds are reinvested domestically.
Revenue from SUN ’n FUN helps the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), which operates the Florida Air Museum and a variety of youth and workforce applications.
“That’s what makes this unique,” Conrad stated. “We’re not just hosting an event — we’re reinvesting those proceeds right back into the community.”
A pipeline from ‘cradle to cockpit’
Conrad stated applications like these supplied by ACE are more and more vital — each domestically and nationally — as demand grows for expert staff in aviation and associated industries.
“We’re building that next generation workforce,” he stated.
Conrad described a “cradle to cockpit” mannequin — beginning with story time applications for youngsters ages 2 to five, discipline journeys for elementary and center schoolers, summer season camps and a highschool aerospace magnet program that features the Young Aviators Club.
In 2025 alone:
- More than 18,000 youth attended Sun ’n Fun
- 2,501 college students participated in discipline journeys throughout the occasion
- 105 discipline journeys have been hosted all year long, reaching practically 3,900 college students
Many of these college students come from economically deprived backgrounds — about 91.5% — and a majority are college students of coloration, Conrad stated.
Hands-on experiences proceed by means of summer season camps and into highschool applications that join college students immediately with aviation careers.
Investing in future pilots
One of the most important hurdles to getting into aviation is value.
A personal pilot’s license sometimes runs about $12,000, Conrad stated — a worth that places it out of attain for a lot of college students.
But income from SUN ’n FUN helps shut that hole.
Last 12 months, 30 highschool college students earned their non-public pilot certificates for free of charge by means of scholarships funded by the occasion.
“We’re not just inspiring kids,” Conrad stated. “We’re helping them get all the way through to a career.”
A year-round vacation spot
All of this exercise is centered at Lakeland Linder International Airport, which hosts SUN ’n FUN every spring and serves as a hub for each aviation training and trade.
The Florida Air Museum — positioned on the airport campus — continues to develop as properly. In 2025:
- The museum offered 11,239 tickets
- It had 448 energetic memberships
- It distributed greater than 8,000 free youth tickets
Events like Kids Museum Day introduced in 1,500 youngsters in a single day.
Military performances are nonetheless on monitor
Each 12 months, SUN ’n FUN attracts main army flight demonstrations, together with performances by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the F-22 Raptor and the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Rhino Demo Team.
With battle within the Middle East elevating questions on army participation, Conrad stated organizers have been requested whether or not these appearances might be canceled.
“So far, the military teams are still good to go,” he stated.
More than an airshow
Conrad framed SUN ’n FUN as half of a bigger ecosystem centered at Lakeland Linder — one which blends tourism, training and trade.
“It’s not just about airplanes in the sky,” he stated. “It’s about creating opportunities on the ground — for students, for families and for the future workforce.”
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom offering impartial native information for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
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