Cranky Dorkfest 2026 Will Be September 19

Oct 16, 2025

More Reading on This Topic: Cranky Dorkfest

One of these days we will be able to announce the Cranky Dorkfest date for the next year at the current year’s event, but we aren’t quite there yet. Still, we have gotten much better about giving advance notice, and the 2026 edition will be on September 19.

I’ve been working with NYC Aviation to try to make sure that Cranky Dorkfest and SpotLAX are always together and roughly the same weekend every year, but there is a caveat. With NYC Aviation’s SpotLAX events stretching from Friday to Sunday, we won’t hold it on the regular weekend if one of the event days happens to be September 11. So next year, we’ll be running this one week later. I look forward to seeing everyone there.

I know that once I post this, some people will mark it and then others will forget. So, starting today, I now have a countdown timer in the site header that links to crankyflier.com/dorkfest. That is a new page that has all the details we know including an FAQ. (And just be aware that we don’t know anything right now other than the date and that the main event will be at the usual time of 11 am to 1pm.)

In case you missed it, there was a great article in Fast Company about the event, so head on over and read that to get excited about next year. See you in 338 days…!

Brett

15 responses to “Cranky Dorkfest 2026 Will Be September 19”

Keith

Oct 16, 2025 at 5:41 am

Hi Brett

This was my first Dorkfest this year and I had a blast meeting all the other dorks.

I don’t think I have ever seen that many cameras with such LONG lenses in one place! If you did not know what was going on, you would have thought it was a newpaper photographer or spy convention LOL!

I did both the tarmac visit and the plane spotting in the park.

My highlight was the Cathy Pacific 747 freighter taxing by us at what seemed like only 100 feet away.

Now that I know that there is a whole weekend of activities, I can plan better for next year.

One request… Can you use something other than a megaphone when you address your assembled minions? I was only about 25 feet and could barely hear you. Maybe LAWA could provide microphone and speaker set up for you?

I can’t wait to see you and all the other dorks in 2026!

Reply
1. CraigTPA
  
  Oct 16, 2025 at 2:13 pm
  
  One suggestion: if you decide you want to sign up for the SpotLAX party Friday night, sign up as soon as the registration opens, and if you get wait-listed watch your e-mail closely, I didn’t and missed two opportunities to sign up.
  
  Another suggestion: don’t get the flu. I wound up having to bail on the ramp visit (I hope Brett was able to find someone else for my place), and only stayed for half the main event. If you saw someone walking around in a Ny-Quil fog, that was probably me. Still enjoyed it, though!
  
  Reply
2. Brett
  
  Oct 16, 2025 at 3:48 pm
  
  Keith – Oh I know it. Don’t worry, already have a plan for next year.
  
  Reply
  1. Keith
    
    Oct 16, 2025 at 5:10 pm
    
    Brett
    
    RE: Your megaphone
    
    The large crowds are there because you have become a victim of your own sucess with Dorkfest!
    
    Your not Taylor Swift big yet…… but you are getting there!!
    
    Luckily you only have deal with us dorks and not thousands of screaming teen girls!
    
    Reply
Matt D

Oct 16, 2025 at 5:53 am

Too soon to say if I’ll be there or not. I doubt it. But I do post my airplane pictures pretty much daily in the LAX and other groups on FB, both vintage and current.

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Anon

Oct 16, 2025 at 5:54 am

Dorkfest is 11 months away. Would it be possible to remove the countdown clock when it’s such a long way away ? If you want to bring it back, maybe when it’s a little nearer the time and people need to start putting their name down for specific events that will take place on the day ? When it’s 338 days away and you’ve got a clock counting down the seconds, it distracts visual attention from your excellent articles and makes your website look a little cheap and tacky.

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1. dfw88
  
  Oct 16, 2025 at 7:55 am
  
  Disagree with this. It’s a tiny reminder in the upper corner that disappears when you scroll past it. Not a distraction at all, merely a subtle reminder. Of course, to each their own.
  
  Reply
  1. Anon
    
    Oct 16, 2025 at 10:21 am
    
    On a phone (not a big desktop PC screen)… the Dorkfest countdown clock becomes rather more dominant on the screen.
    
    Reply
2. JT8D
  
  Oct 16, 2025 at 1:03 pm
  
  Dorkfest ain’t my bag, baby (more power to those for whom it is, differences are what make the world go around), but I don’t see the counter as an imposition and objectively it’s unrelated to the quality of the content.
  
  It’s Cranky’s website. Count away.
  
  Reply
3. Brett
  
  Oct 16, 2025 at 3:50 pm
  
  The timer is staying. Might change it down the line if I come up with something more fun, but I like it
  
  Reply
  1. Nick Bax
    
    Oct 16, 2025 at 4:40 pm
    
    Would it be possible to have it just stay in the header and not float over the text as you scroll down?
    
    That would improve it for me, and probably many others.
    
    Reply
    1. Brett
      
      Oct 16, 2025 at 4:47 pm
      
      Nick – Whaaaa? It’s not scrolling for me. Can you give me some more details on what you’re using so I can investigate?
      
      Reply
      1. PJ
        
        Oct 17, 2025 at 9:37 am
        
        I’m on Safari on an iPhone SE and the countdown timer stays at the top of my view (floats with me) as I scroll. It is pretty distracting.
        
        Reply
        
        Brett
        
        Oct 17, 2025 at 10:38 am
        
        PJ and Nick – Ok, sorry to you and all the safari peeps. That is NOT expected behavior. I believe it has been fixed now to not scroll below the header. Check it out and let me know if you see any issues. We’ll definitely get that fixed.
Nick Bax

Oct 17, 2025 at 11:19 am

It is fixed right now and stays in the header. That is much better. Thank you.

Reply