Nine things to know before heading to the Wings Over Myrtle Beach air show

The Blue Angels are headed to the beach this weekend for the first Myrtle Beach airshow. Many in town could see and hear the flight team practicing around the airport Thursday.

The Wings Over Myrtle Beach air show will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Myrtle Beach International Airport. Here's nine things you need to know before you head to the show.

1. More than 80,000 are expected to attend the airshow, according to media contact Brenda Little. Myrtle Beach police have implemented a traffic and parking plan to help alleviate congestion.
2. Chairs, blankets, cameras, empty water bottles, camel backs, sunscreen baby formula, small coolers, bags, hand-held umbrellas, handicap scooters and service animals are all permitted, and encouraged, at the show.
3. Large coolers, food and drink, alcohol, pets, weapons, bikes, skates, skateboards and rollerblades, tents or awnings and cooking equipment are not permitted on site.
4. Security measures will be taken before entering the site. Bags and purses will be searched at the gate.
5. Parking passes are available for purchase. A gold airport reserved parking pass allows guests to park directly at the airport. A blue remote reserved airport parking pass allows parking at Fantasy Harbor, and provides a 10-minute shuttle ride. All parking lots open at 7:30 a.m.
6. The show will be visible from all around the airport, but you may want to get there early before parking fills up.
7. The Market Common is also hosting Dragon Boat races and a three-day soccer tournament over the weekend, adding to an already-busy couple days.
8. Police say drivers to not pull over on the side of the road to watch the airshow. Rather, all cars should be in a marked parking space.
9. Tickets are available for purchase online or at Beach Aviation Services, 1250 Airdrome Ave., at least through Friday. However, due to a high volume of traffic the website has been down multiple times. If you are looking to purchase tickets and cannot get into the website call ETIX at 1-888-695-0888 to purchase tickets on the phone.

Main gates at the site will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and opening ceremonies will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. A number of performers are scheduled to appear including the F-16 Viper Demo Team and the Para-Commandos Parachute team. Gates are set to close at 5 p.m.

The Geico Skytypers, World War II era aircraft, are also scheduled to perform. The planes will fly low to the ground and perform 20 different maneuvers.

The Para-Commandos will parachute down to the beach after free falling at nearly 120 mph. The team is made up of combat veteran special operators from the U.S. Air Force's Special Tactics Squadrons, U.S. Navy SEALs and U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Raiders.

The Blue Angels will perform with their six gold-and-blue F-18 Hornets.

This story was originally published April 26, 2018 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Nine things to know before heading to the Wings Over Myrtle Beach air show."