05/28/2026
On the 4th of July in South Carolina, the “Salute from the Shore” event takes place as one of the Palmetto State’s most patriotic traditions! All along the coast, beachgoers pack the sand in red, white, and blue, wave American flags, and look to the sky as fighter jets and vintage military planes roar over the shoreline in honor of America’s active-duty military, veterans, and their families. Since 2010, this Independence Day flyover has turned the South Carolina coast into one long patriotic viewing spot, stretching from the Grand Strand to the Lowcountry.
For 2026, the salute is set for Saturday, July 4, with the flyover expected to begin around 1 p.m. F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base are scheduled to start near Cherry Grove in North Myrtle Beach and continue south along the coast toward the Beaufort and Bluffton area. After the active military aircraft pass overhead, an all-volunteer group of Warbirds is expected to follow, featuring civilian-owned vintage military planes such as T-34s, T-6s, and T-28s.
The times are estimated and may change due to weather, flight conditions, military needs, or other factors, so visitors should arrive early and check for official updates. The expected 2026 route follows the familiar coastal path, beginning around Cherry Grove at 1:00 p.m., then continuing past Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, Pawleys Island, Isle of Palms, Charleston Harbor, Folly Beach, Edisto Island, Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, before reaching the Beaufort area later in the afternoon. The exact timing can shift, but the scene is always memorable...thousands of people standing along the South Carolina shoreline, cheering from the beach as the aircraft pass overhead in a moving Fourth of July salute!
