FAQs

Entry to the Erie Balloon Festival is FREE! All balloon launches and the Saturday Night Glow are free to watch. Lots more food trucks, several face painters, story time and two walk-through balloons at the Glow. Tethered balloon rides are $20 per person, cash ONLY!

For morning launches, arrive EARLY. We strongly recommend arriving by 5:45am. The balloons begin setting up in the dark and launch shortly after sunrise (around 6:00am). They are often all in the air and gone by 7:00am, and do not come back to the field.

The festival is held at the open field just east of Erie High School, on County Road 5 and Colliers Parkway. Public parking is available at Erie High School and Soaring Heights Middle School.

The Erie Bee Shuttle: 5:30am-9:30am
Morning Pickup at Highlands Elementary School
Drop off at High School.

Glow Schedule: 5:00pm-10:30pm
Pickup: Erie Communuty Center and Highlands Elementary
Drop Off: Erie High School Loop.

There will be an ADA drop-off zone on Colliers Parkway, just west of the pilot entrance. Please look for the drop-off zone sign.

Saturday Night Glow activities begin at 5:00pm with food trucks, walk-through balloons, and tethered balloon rides ($20 per person, CASH only). Seating is on the hill, overlooking the field and the setting sun behind the Rocky Mountains. The Paramotor show will begin at 7:30pm, and the glow will begin at 8pm. We recommend you get there early for prime seating and eating!

All ballooning activities are 100% weather-dependent. The safety of our pilots, crews, and spectators is our top priority. High winds (even just 8-10 mph), rain, or fog can cause delays or cancellations. All "go" or "no-go" decisions are made just before the scheduled event time, as we do our final pilot briefing on the field. For real-time updates, please follow our Facebook Page, which we will update live from the field.

Tethered rides (where the balloon is tied to the ground and floats 40-50 feet up) will be available for purchase on-site, weather permitting. These are first-come, first-served, and cost $20, CASH ONLY!

Full flights (where you fly away from the park) are not offered during the festival. If you wish to book a full flight, please contact a local balloon ride company directly.

Lawn chairs, blankets, cameras and a smile! For the morning launches, dress in layers. It is often cold before the sun comes up. Cash is also helpful for vendors, though many accept cards.

For the safety and comfort of all, Pets are NOT allowed (except for clearly marked service animals). The burners on the balloons are very loud and can be terrifying for animals.

Drones are strictly prohibited by the FAA in the airspace around the festival.

Yes! We will have a wide variety of food trucks during the morning launches and the night glow. Portable restrooms are located throughout the festival grounds.

Red Flag - flights are cancelled (NOOOOOOO!)
Yellow Flag - we are on a weather hold (stick around!)
Green Flag - we are a good to fly

We will keep you informed every step of the way: announcers on the field, updates on our website and Facebook Page.

Spectators are welcome on the balloon field to visit with the pilots and get up close to the balloons. While on the field, please be respectful to the pilots and crew. They need lots of room to lay out the fabric of the balloon and to prepare for inflation. Once the balloon is inflated, you may often return to an area for viewing.

Now, stand back and enjoy the show as the balloons take to the sky!

Notice of Filming and Photography

When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such recording and its release, publication, exhibition, and/or reproduction.