San Diego Fleet Week schedule altered by government shutdown

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- In a patriotic town like San Diego, celebrating the military during Fleet Week has been an annual tradition going back almost 30-years.

But this year, that celebration has been ambushed by a federal government shutdown.

Major events scheduled for San Diego Bay and the Broadway Pier have now been cancelled or postponed until further notice.

“We, as the Fleet Week Foundation that runs San Diego Fleet Week, made the decision that with no ships or equipment at Broadway Pier available during the government shutdown, we had to cancel the events on the Broadway Pier," said Larry Blumberg of the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation.

And the timing could not be worse.

This year, the Navy is celebrating its 250th birthday, created by the Continental Congress on October 13, 1775.

With smaller events happening all year long, Fleet Week San Diego was supposed to be the icing on the cake for the largest military town in America.

“Well I think this is a huge disappointment for the entire community. We’ve been working all year long for this 250th birthday celebration. A way to share the bond between the military and the community. Now we have to pivot," says Ashley Camac of the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation.

While the events along the Broadway Pier are a bust, not all is lost. In the military, where there’s a will there’s a way. And on the 250th birthday of the Navy, they have found a way to save or reschedule a few key events.

“Though the government shutdown is something that none of us want to have to deal with, we are going to pivot and make the best of it. We are going to put on some great events, they just won't be at Broadway Pier," says Camac.

During previous Fleet Week celebrations in San Diego, the military would roll out the big guns, modern war ships and cutting edge technology on the Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego.

That part of the celebration will have to wait until 2026, the Navy’s 251st birthday. But these are the events that survived the government shutdown.

• Saturday, Nov. 1 -- Snapdragon Stadium
  • Fleet Week Football Classic and Tailgate Party
  • San Diego State vs Wyoming
• Sunday, Nov. 9 -- Embarcadero
  • Military Family Day
• Friday, Nov. 21 -- San Diego Zoo
  • Military Appreciation Lunch

If the government does reopen, event coordinators say they are ready to pivot back to holding the events.