Flight tests over the Charleston peninsula this week signaled what was coming. The Charleston Air Show was set to kick off at 1 p.m. today with the Blue Angels and an F-16 demo team, and the harborfront was already adjusting for the crowds and closures that come with it.
Police said they expected attendance similar to the Cooper Bridge Run, a scale that will ripple across downtown Charleston. The Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway was scheduled to close at 11 a.m., then the bridge itself was set to shut to all traffic from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Several downtown parking garages were set to charge a $10 flat rate all day, while much of the harbor was scheduled to be closed to boats and drones were barred from Charleston Harbor during all show hours.
The airshow is part of a shift from the routine of holding the event at Joint Base Charleston every other year. This time, the planes are over the harbor, and that changes the calculus for businesses, drivers and boaters alike. Police laid out four viewing zones — Aquarium Wharf, Waterfront Park, The Battery and Demetre Park — to spread the crowds along the waterfront.
For some businesses on East Bay Street, the show already had a head start on the sidewalk. At Bay Street Biergarten, employees said they had a front-row seat to the display. At Saffron Bakery and Cafe, Donovan Edwards said the shop was preparing for unfamiliar crowds with a newer staff and trying to make sure it had enough people on hand. He said workers were also being told to get in early in case road closures changed the commute, and he said employees were able to step outside and watch the airshow for free.
Workers described the practice runs in almost physical terms. Wes Sandifer said the flight tests over East Bay Street sounded as if planes were driving down the road, adding that they seemed to be flying horizontally along East Bay. Maddie Martin said the runs brought a rush of excitement for staff, saying the adrenaline was so strong she ran outside and spent minutes looking for her phone before remembering where she was. Edwards said the sight of employees stepping out to watch was a reminder of how close the business sits to the action.
The harbor setting gives the airshow a bigger footprint than a normal weekend event, and it also leaves less room for error. The closures on the bridge, the limits on the water and the no-fly rules for drones all point to the same thing: today’s show is meant to be seen from the waterfront, and downtown Charleston is built to feel it, too.
