Below is the current schedule of upcoming AFA Palm Springs events. Dates, times, and speakers are subject to change, so if you would like to confirm any event, please feel free to email us at AFAPalmSprings@outlook.com Everyone is welcome to attend our general membership meetings and Air Commando luncheons. We look forward to seeing you!
This calendar is more than just our Chapter schedule. Throughout the year, we’ll also post aviation, aerospace, military, STEM, and other community events that we think our members and and visitors will enjoy.
| DATE | TIME | EVENT | LOCATION | MORE INFO |
| June 28, 2026 | 7:00am – 11:00am launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 1, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| July 1, 2026 | 7:00pm – 11:00pm launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 4, 2026 | 9:00pm | Fireworks Extravaganza | Palm Springs Stadium 1901 E. Baristo Rd. | Celebrate July 4th with the Palm Springs Power Baseball and the City of Palm Springs for a spectacular fireworks extravaganza at the stadium. Gates open early, with the fireworks show kicking off shortly after 9:00 pm. |
| July 4, 2026 | 9:00pm | Fireworks Spectacular & Drone Show | Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage | Catch the Drive-In Experience starting at 7 p.m., with the big show lighting up the sky at 9:00pm. |
| July 4, 2026 | 9:00pm | Fireworks Show | Bagdouma Park Coachella | Enjoy a fun-filled evening with local food vendors, community pool, games, all capped off with a dazzling fireworks show at 9:00pm. A free community celebration! |
| July 4, 2026 | 9:30pm | Drone Show Spectacular | Empire Polo Grounds Indio | From 6–10pm, a free, family-friendly evening packed with live entertainment, delicious food, a beer garden, free kids’ activities, and giveaways. Then at 9:30 p.m., look to the sky for a Drone Show Spectacular! |
| July 5, 2026 | 9:15pm | Fireworks Spectacular | Mission Springs Park Desert Hot Springs | Sunday, July 5, from 6–10pm. Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary with live music, great food, family-friendly fun, and a dazzling fireworks show at 9:15 p.m. This free community event is open to all. |
| July 6, 2026 | 7:00am – 11:00am launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 10, 2026 | 7:56pm – 11:00pm launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 13, 2026 | 6:16pm – 7:16pm launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 13-17, 2026 | Monday 8:30am – 1:00pm Tues. Wed. Thurs. 9:00am – 1:00pm Friday 9:00am – 1:30pm | AFA Summer Cybercamp | College of the Desert IT Lab Palm Desert | Introducing high school students to cybersecurity, operating systems, networking, cryptography, incident response, online safety, and much more. It is exactly the kind of program that helps prepare the next generation for careers protecting our nation’s digital infrastructure. |
| July 15, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| July 16, 2026 | 1:22pm – 1:44pm launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 20, 2026 | 7:00am – 11:00am launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 21, 2026 | 7:00am – 10:47am launch window | Vandenberg Rocket Launch (Visible from Coachella Valley) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Rocket launches are often visible from the Coachella Valley. Watch the western sky for the vehicle as it heads south, usually low on the horizon. A live webcast will begin 10 minutes prior to liftoff at https://www.spacex.com |
| July 29, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| August 12, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| August 26, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Sept 2, 2026 | 11:30am | AFA Palm Springs 134 Members Mtg and lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Guest Speaker TBD Everyone is welcome. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Sept 3, 2026 | CyberPatriot Training Start | Nationwide | Coachella Valley High School Teams | |
| Sept 12 -13, 2026 | Air & Space Forces Association National Convention | National Harbor Maryland | For information please visit https://www.afa.org/national-convention/ | |
| Sept 14 – 16, 2026 | AFA Air Space Cyber Conference | National Harbor Maryland | AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference provides first-class professional military development, facilitates sharing of emerging requirements and technologies, and helps fuel connections that advance the cause of airpower and spacepower. More info at https://www.afa.org/air-space-cyber-conference/ | |
| Sept 16, 1016 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Oct 1, 2026 Thursday | 11:30am | AFA Palm Springs 134 Members Mtg and lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Guest Speaker TBD Everyone is welcome. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Oct 1, 2026 | CyberPatriot Competition Round 1 Start | Nationwide | Coachella Valley High School Teams | |
| Oct 3, 2026 | 8:00am | Young Eagles Rally EAA Chapter 1116 | Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport | Young Eagles is dedicated to giving youth ages 8–17, an opportunity to fly in general aviation airplanes. It is free and made possible through the generosity of EAA members. More info at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa1116 |
| Oct 7, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch & Special Presentation | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | A Special Presentation by the Honor Flight Network. More information to be announced. Everyone is welcome. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Oct 10 – 11, 2026 | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Open House | NASA JPL Caltech Pasadena | Public tours return to JPL. Public tickets are free, but limited. Registration opens August 29. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov | |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 9:00am | EAA Chapter 1116 Meeting | Thermal Aviation Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport | Members and guests welcome. More information at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa1116 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 7:30am Doors Open 8:00am Breakfast | Old Bold Pilots | Rancho Las Palmas Country Club Rancho Mirage | Speaker and more info to follow |
| Nov 2, 2026 | CyberPatriot Competition Round 2 Start | Nationwide | Coachella Valley High School Teams | |
| Nov 4, 2026 | 11:30am | AFA Palm Springs 134 Members Mtg and lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Guest Speaker TBD Everyone is welcome. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Nov 7, 2026 | 8:00am | Young Eagles Rally EAA Chapter 1116 | Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport | Young Eagles is dedicated to giving youth ages 8–17, an opportunity to fly in general aviation airplanes. It is free and made possible through the generosity of EAA members. More info at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa1116 |
| Nov 11, 2026 | 3:30pm | 29th Annual Palm Springs Veterans Day Parade | Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs | In downtown Palm Springs The parade lasts approximately one hour and concludes with a post-parade patriotic concert and fireworks finale at the intersection of Amado Road and Palm Canyon Drive. |
| Nov 13, 2026 | Space Shuttle Endeavor | California Science Center Los Angeles | The opening of the 20 story high Samuel Oschi Shuttle Gallery. The only place in the world to see a complete space shuttle system with a flown orbiter. https://californiasciencecenter.org/exhibits/air-and-space/space-shuttle | |
| Nov 18, 2026 | 11:30am | Air Commandos Lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Everyone is welcome. There is no agenda, just good conversation and camaraderie with fellow aviation enthusiasts. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | 9:00am | EAA Chapter 1116 Meeting | Thermal Aviation Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport | Members and guests welcome. More information at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa1116 |
| Dec 2, 2026 | 11:30am | AFA Palm Springs 134 Members Mtg and lunch | ROC’s Firehouse Grille Palm Desert | Guest Speaker TBD Everyone is welcome. There is no charge to attend. Simply pay for your own lunch and beverage. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | 8:00am | Young Eagles Rally EAA Chapter 1116 | Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport | Young Eagles is dedicated to giving youth ages 8–17, an opportunity to fly in general aviation airplanes. It is free and made possible through the generosity of EAA members. More info at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa1116 |
| Dec 19, 2026 | 9:00am | EAA Chapter 1116 Meeting | Thermal Aviation Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport | Members and guests welcome. More information at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa1116 |