We love finding free things to do with kids in Phoenix! Luke Days at Luke Air Force Base is an annual military air show at the base, open to the public, and free except for a $10 cash only parking fee. Here’s what families need to know before they head out to west Glendale for Luke Days 2018!
Read on for our best family travel tips for Luke Days!
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Luke Days 2018 Saturday, March 17th and Sunday, March 18th Schedule
9:00 a.m. Gates Open
10:15 a.m. Opening Ceremony
3:30 p.m. Blue Angels
5:00 p.m. Gates Close
Find the full Luke Days schedule and more info on the Luke Days 2018 website here.
Luke Days Tips for Families!
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Restrooms?
- Yes! But they’re porta potties, so our advice is to go early and go often, before thousands more families visit the facilities!
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Seating?
- Yes! There is free stadium seating. You may bring in bleacher seats/pads, but you’ll be walking or shuttling from the parking lot so don’t load up with more than you’ll want to carry on your way out.
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Free?
- Yes! The entire event is free, but that’s a little misleading because you’ll have to pay $10 cash for parking. We think ten bucks total for 8 hours of family fun is practically a freebie!
- Budget Bender: Luke Days offers drinks, food, and souvenirs for purchase. We plan to take cash since vendors at events like this tend to run into technical difficulties running credit cards.
- Budget Buster: You can make this free family event in Phoenix a very expensive day if you want to be a VIP. The lowest level VIP tickets cost $39. The highest level VIP tickets cost $199! The ultimate VIP tickets include 8—yes, 8!—alcohol tickets per pass, so be careful of drunks on your drive home. Actually, that’s an always problem in Phoenix. If you’re from out of town, here’s a safety tip: never drive in the left lane or HOV lane in the Phoenix metro. We have a ridiculous number of wrong way drivers here.
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Can I bring in outside food?
- Yes! But you can’t bring large bags or coolers. You may bring in strollers, so consider packing food and ice packs (if needed) in the basket of your stroller.
- Factory sealed plastic water & non-alcoholic drink bottles are allowed.
- Refillable water bottles must be empty until you clear the security checkpoint, then you can fill them up at the water refill stations.
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Lot Parking?
- Yes! Find parking maps and info here on the Luke Days website (click “Parking” on the right-side menu).
- In case you need to ride the shuttle from your parking lot, we suggest taking a small umbrella stroller if you need one.
- Once more, parking is $10 cash only.
What families need to take to Luke Days 2018:
- Cash! At least $10 cash for parking.
- Water! Factory sealed water bottles or empty refillable bottles. No glass allowed.
- Sunscreen! “68 and cloudy” still results in angry sunburns here in Phoenix!
- Hand Sanitizer! All moms keep this on hand at all times, but here’s a friendly reminder: porta potties.
- Snacks! The military plane air shows are exciting, but it is a long day for kids! Pack snacks to keep your kids’ energy up—and to help you keep your budget intact!
- Mini First Aid Pack! Pain reliever, probiotics, and bandaids. There is a first aid station available, but I always pack one of those small tubes of Advil (you can get them at Dollar Tree) and remove half the pills and fill it up with these chewable probiotics for upset tummies (you can get them at Sprouts too at a higher price). Throw in a few bandaids for the inevitable blisters and scrapes.
- Earplugs! You’re gonna need ’em! Pick up a pack of earplugs at any one of the 10,000 Walmarts in the Phoenix metro, or order in bulk like we do from Amazon:
- DIY Souvenirs! There are super cool Luke Days and patriotic souvenirs for sale at Luke Days—with a hefty price tag. If you have little kids, consider picking up a pack of little American flags for your kids to wave and a bag of Army Men or little planes for them to play with. You can find these at Walmart when you buy the earplugs. Our big kids (ages 11 & 14) usually admire the souvenirs for sale then walk away, because they buy souvenirs with their own money.
Don’t bring these items to Luke Days!
- Weapons of any sort, including pocket knives, scissors, toy weapons, and drones.
- Pets that aren’t service animals. Of course, every dog in Phoenix seems to be a “service animal”. Don’t be the jerk who passes off his chihuahua as a service dog.
- Large bags. There’s no info on what counts as “large” on the Luke Days site, so err on the side of too small.
- Diaper bags are listed as an exception to the “no large bags” rule.
- For moms with fancy cameras: the camera bag dimension limit is 21″ L x 10″ W x 10″ D.
- Food coolers—if you want to pack in lunch to save money, you could have each family member carry their own lunch, snacks, & water in a small backpack/bag so you won’t need a cooler or large bag.
More Luke Days 2018 Tips:
Did you know that Falcon Golf Course is right next to Luke Air Force Base? KC plays there and likes to watch the military planes while he golfs. If you want to see the Luke Days air show without the crowds, you could play a round of golf! Greens fees include carts for $45.
Arizona Homeschool Adventures is hosting a homeschool Meetup at Luke Days. Get more info on the Meetup group here.
See you at Luke Days!
We can’t wait to go to our first Luke Days this weekend! Our friends at Best Western Plus Stovall’s Hotels of Anaheim is one of the Luke Days sponsors! See our Disneyland hotel review of Best Western Stovall’s Inn here.
More Phoenix & Arizona family travel blog posts here!
Are you an Arizona Disneyland fan? Check out all of our Disneyland blogs here!
More free things to do in Phoenix with Kids:
Hamming it up at the Phoenix Heard Museum with teens & tweens!
How to get 2 free admissions to 14 Phoenix attractions & museums with a Culture Pass!
Dobbins Lookout: The Phoenix view you can drive to!
