02-04-2025
Lakeland business, airport prepare for hundreds of thousands of visitors for SUN ‘n FUN
LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — The SUN 'n FUN Aerospace Expo, which kicked off Tuesday, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Lakeland and contributes tens of millions of dollars to the local economy.
'It's something we look forward to every year,' said Manuel Meza, general manager at Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille in downtown Lakeland.
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He said busy season in Lakeland starts around Christmastime.
'Then the [Detroit] Tigers come to town. That's always really busy with them being right down the street, and then it's followed up by SUN 'n FUN, which is typically our last big hoorah for our busy season,' Meza said.
Early Tuesday, Meza was preparing for what he knows will be a unique, week-long crowd.
'Typically, restaurants start to die out after 9 but because of the air shows being during the day, you get a lot of stuff coming in later at night,' he said. 'There's always groups that are coming in every year. They tend to make it a habit of coming to the local restaurants on certain days of the week.'
One hotel manager said it's like the Super Bowl for Lakeland.
But as Amy Wiggins, the president and CEO of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, pointed out, it's better since the host city never changes.
'We've already made the investment in our airport and have done for that a long time. We get it every year. So again, for 51 years, to say that we're having a Super Bowl here in Lakeland is pretty remarkable,' Wiggins said.
SUN 'n FUN is Florida's largest convention and the second largest aerospace expo in the world.
'We are considered the world's busiest airport this week of SUN 'n FUN. We typically have an airplane landing about every minute. Sometimes that can go down to about every 30 seconds,' said Adam Lunn, assistant director at Lakeland Linder International Airport.
He said this year they're planning had to involve Avelo, the commercial airline that began flying out of Lakeland in June 2024.
'As far as the aircraft themselves and moving them on the northside of the airport, it's business as usual. They'll be able to land and taxi over here to our terminal while all the SUN 'n FUN traffic continues to head down to the south side,' Lunn said.
The FAA provided 63 air traffic controllers from all corners of the country to help coordinate the takeoffs and landings.
Wiggins said she wants to remind residents to expect restaurants will be busier and traffic will be slower because of all the visitors.
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