Hot air balloon festivals are held annually in many places throughout the year, allowing balloon pilots and the general public to gather together and enjoy hot air balloons. The festivals can include races, balloon rides, and "night glows", in which balloons are fired while remaining tethered to the ground illuminating them in the dark. Many US hot air balloon festivals also include live music, car shows, craft fairs, and other activities to entertain the whole community.

List

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Festival !! City !! Country !! Year <br>started

!Year ended!! When held !! Official <br>website

|-

| Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival || Queensbury, New York || United States || 1973

| ||Mid to late September|| [http://www.adirondackballoonfest.org/]

|-

| Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic || Decatur, Alabama || United States || 1977

| || || [http://www.alabamajubilee.net]

|-

| Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta || Albuquerque, New Mexico || United States || 1972

| || First full week in October including both adjacent weekends || [http://www.balloonfiesta.com/]

|-

|All Ohio Balloon Festival

|Marysville, Ohio

|United States

|1975

|

|Second or third weekend of August

|[https://allohioballoonfest.com/]

|-

|Atlantic Balloon Fiesta

|Sussex, New Brunswick

|Canada

|1985

|

|Always the weekend after labor Day

|[https://www.atlanticballoonfiesta.ca/]

|-

| Balloons over Waikato|| Hamilton, North Island || New Zealand || 1999

| || || [http://www.balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz/]

|-

| Bluegrass Balloon Festival || Louisville, Kentucky || United States || 1999

| || ||[http://www.bluegrassballoons.com/]

|-

| Bristol International Balloon Fiesta || Bristol || United Kingdom || 1979

| || || [https://web.archive.org/web/19980111101526/http://bristolfiesta.co.uk/]

|-

| Canberra Balloon Spectacular|| Canberra || Australia || 1987

| || ||[http://balloonspectacular.com.au/]

|-

| Centralia Balloon Fest|| Centralia, Illinois || United States || 1990

| || ||[https://centraliachamber.com/balloon-fest/]

|-

| Colorado Balloon Classic || Colorado Springs, Colorado || United States || 1977

| || Labor Day weekend in September || [https://web.archive.org/web/20130507112629/http://www.balloonclassic.com/]

|-

| European Balloon Festival || Igualada, Catalonia || Spain || 1997

| ||First fortnight of July ||[https://web.archive.org/web/20100326161244/http://www.ebf.cat/en/]

|-

| Ferrara Balloons Festival|| Ferrara || Italy || 2005

| || || [http://www.ferrarafestival.it/] (Italian)

|-

| Festival Internacional de Balonismo de Torres || Rio Grande do Sul || Brazil || 1989

| || Late April || [http://www.torres.rs.gov.br/balonismo/] (Portuguese)

|-

| Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival || Gatineau, Quebec || Canada || 1988

| ||Labor Day Weekend||[http://www.montgolfieresgatineau.com/]

|-

| Gordon Bennett Cup gas balloon race || Varies || Varies || 1906

| || Hosted by country of the race winner two years prior. ||[https://web.archive.org/web/20101009101601/http://www.coupegordonbennett.org/]

|-

| Great Falls Balloon Festival || Lewiston / Auburn, Maine || United States || 1992

| || ||[http://www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org]

|-

| Great Forest Park Balloon Race || Saint Louis, Missouri || United States || 1973

| || ||[http://www.greatforestparkballoonrace.com/]

|-

| Great Pershing Balloon Derby || Brookfield, Missouri || United States || 1977

| || || [https://web.archive.org/web/20100301023800/http://www.brookfieldmochamber.com/balloons.htm]

|-

| Great Reno Balloon Race || Reno, Nevada || United States || 1981

| || ||[http://www.renoballoon.com/]

|-

| Great Texas Balloon Race || Longview, Texas / Kilgore, Texas || United States || 1977

| || || [http://www.greattexasballoonrace.com/]

|-

|Great Wellsville Balloon Rally

|Wellsville, New York

|United States

|1975

|

|Third Weekend of July

|[https://wellsvilleballoonrally.com/]

|-

| Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival|| Foley, Alabama|| United States || 2005

| || Spring || [https://www.gulfcoastballoonfestival.com/]

|-

| Huff 'n' Puff|| Topeka, Kansas|| United States || 1976

| || Second weekend of September || [http://www.huff-n-puff.org]

|-

| International Hot-Air Balloon Festival in Château-d'Oex|| Château-d'Œx|| Switzerland || 1979

| || || [http://www.festivaldeballons.ch]

|-

| International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu|| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec || Canada || 1984

| || Mid-August ||[http://www.ballooncanada.com/]

|-

|Jupiter Flights Balloon Festival

|Fishers, Indiana

|United States

|2021

|

|Early September.

|[https://www.connerprairie.org/conner-prairie-balloon-festival/]

|-

| Lakeside of the Smokies Balloon Fest|| Dandridge, Tennessee|| United States|| || || ||[https://www.lotsballoonfest.com/]

|-

| London International Hot Air Balloon Festival|| London, Ontario|| Canada || 1983

|2007|| ||[https://web.archive.org/web/20070818080130/http://www.londonballoonfestival.com/]

|-

| Michigan Challenge Balloonfest|| Howell, Michigan|| United States || 1985

| || ||[http://michiganchallenge.com/]

|-

| National Balloon Classic|| Indianola, Iowa|| United States || 1969

| || First week of August ||[http://www.nationalballoonclassic.com]

|-

| Northampton Balloon Festival|| Northampton|| United Kingdom || 1990

| || ||[http://www.thenorthamptonballoonfestival.co.uk/]

|-

| Northwest Art and Air Festival|| Albany, Oregon || United States || 2000

| || ||[http://nwartandair.org/]

|-

| Page, AZ Balloon Regatta & Street Fair

| Page, Arizona

| United States

| 2026

|

| First weekend of November

| [https://www.visitpageaz.com/festival-events/signature-events/balloon-regatta-26/]

|-

| Philippine International Hot-Air Balloon Fiesta|| Angeles City|| Philippines || 1994

| || 2nd week of February ||[http://www.philballoonfest.net/]

|-

| Plano Balloon Festival|| Plano, Texas || United States || 1980

| || ||[http://www.planoballoonfest.org/]

|-

|Plainville Hot Air Balloon Festival

|Plainville, Connecticut

|United States

|1987

|

|Late Summer

|[https://www.plainvillefireco.com/content/balloon/]

|-

| Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning|| Readington Township, New Jersey||United States || 1983

| || Third week of July ||[http://www.balloonfestival.com/]

|-

| Saga International Balloon Fiesta|| Saga, Saga|| Japan || 1980

| || ||[https://www.sibf.jp/en/]

|-

| Saxonia International Balloon Fiesta|| Leipzig|| Germany || 1995

|2015|| || [http://www.balloonfiesta.de/]

|-

| Suncook Valley Rotary Hot Air Balloon Rally|| Pittsfield, New Hampshire|| United States || 1981

| || First weekend in August ||[https://nhballoonrally.org/]

|-

| Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic || Boise, Idaho || United States || 1991

| || ||[http://www.spiritofboise.com/]

|-

|Taunggyi Tazaungdaing Festival

|Taunggyi, Shan State

|Myanmar

|1894

|

|

|

|-

| Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival|| Temecula, California|| United States || 1984

| || ||[http://www.tvbwf.com/]

|-

| || Velikiye Luki|| Russia || 1996

| || June || [https://web.archive.org/web/20110812052517/http://balloon-cup.ru/2010/index_en.php]

|-

| Warren County Farmers' Fair Balloon Festival|| New Jersey|| United States || 2000

| || July/August||[http://www.balloonfestnj.com]

|}

<gallery heights="160" widths="160">

File:Nightglow, Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfiade (WIM) (10573726073).jpg|Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfiade (WIM), Germany

File:Balloonsoversuspensionbridge.JPG|The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (held in the city of Bristol, England), is one of the biggest festivals of its type in Europe

File:Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival.jpg|Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival

File:Hot Air Balloons , Albuquerque , Ektachrome by Scott Williams.jpg|Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the largest gathering of hot air balloons in the world.

File:Ballons vista aerea.jpg|Balloons flying above the Ancient Castle of Ferrara during the Ferrara Balloon Festival

File:Penang Hot Air Balloon.jpg|Balloons flying during the Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in George Town, Penang in 2017.

File:WIM 2004 starting.jpg|Starting balloons at the Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfiade in Warstein, Germany

File:GBBalloona.jpg|Grand Britannia, the Great British Balloon flying at the Mondial event in Lorraine, France

File:Mid-Hudson balloon festival.JPG|Mid-Hudson Valley Balloon Festival

File:European Balloon Festival 2008 in Igualada.jpg|European Balloon Festival in Igualada, Spain

File:Sunballoon.JPG|A "smiling sun" hot air balloon in front of the sun during the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Pampanga, Philippines

File:Night Glow at 20 FIBAQ 2016 - Alter do Chão.jpg|Night Glow at the 20º Hot Air Balloon Festival (FIBAQ) in Alter do Chão, Portugal, on 11 November 2016

File:Leon international hot air ballon festival nov 2012.jpg|Leon International Hot Air Balloon Festival 2012 in Leon, Mexico

File:Palenville Hot Air Balloon LBFPHOTO.jpg|alt=Man twirls a woman in a long dress in front of hot air balloons lifting off during sunrise.|A sunrise photo session at the Plainville Hot Air Balloon Festival in Connecticut

</gallery>

thumb|center|800px|

See also

  • Air show

References

  • Hot air balloon festival listings - primarily North America
  • Hot air balloon festival listings - primarily Europe
  • Worldwide Hot air balloon festival listings