This year it takes place Oct. 1 through Oct. 8. This year's festivities kicked off with emergency preparedness and response exercises.

Where will it be?

The Parade of Ships takes place at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 5. It's what it sounds like: an event in which U.S. Navy ships parade on the bay and go under the Golden Gate Bridge. Marina Green is a prime spot to watch the parade, and if you stick around, the San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show follows it from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The air show takes place over three days, so if you miss Friday's show, you can catch it Saturday and Sunday. All you have to do is head over to the festival at Marina Green (it's free!), but if you're looking for a better view and don't want to bring your own chair, they do offer tickets for prime spots.

Check out the full calendar of events (with a map!) here.

What are the Blue Angels?

San Franciscans are split on whether they love or hate this high-flying show featuring aerial acrobatics by the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels. Still, their three-day air show is one of the more popular Fleet Week events.

Some complain about the noise, cost and pollution, but it does bring in an estimated 1 million people.