Thousands of eyes were on Penticton skies Wednesday evening with the Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks parachute jump team putting on a colourful display above Peach Fest on opening day.

Dropping out of the sky at 6,000 feet to display their signature Canadian flag parachutes, the demonstration team wowed the huge crowd that came out to watch them at Okanagan Lake Park.

鈥淭hat was so impressive, thank you,鈥� was a common comment to the soldiers as they were folding their parachutes after the show.

In total, 12 SkyHawks jumped on Wednesday, some in pairs and other jumps had three or four skydivers.

With the crowd singing O鈥� Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces skydivers floated down with a giant Canadian flag between them.

Other SkyHawks came down with coloured smoke. It was windy during the show, which made their descent and landing in such a small space challenging.

But their experience and physical fitness made them all manage the gusts of wind. The show was a big hit and a great way to kick of Peach Fest, said many in the crowd.

The SkyHawks have opened up Peach Fest for several years and have quickly become a crowd favourite.

On top of their sky show, the SkyHawks participated in the Peach Bin Races down Main Street earlier that day, winning the competition.

The skydiving team had been practicing at Penticton Airport a couple days before the show and took several media representatives on tandem jumps.

Wednesday also showcased the Havoc scooter show, the Canadian Tire Motocross display along Lakeshore and the Kim Mitchell concert.

Thursday evening is the sandcastle competition at Skaha Lake.

Peach Fest runs from Aug. 9 to 13. For a full schedule of events go to .

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