19th Annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival

Description

Foley is the spot for high-flying adventure and family fun at the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival. Enjoy the entertainment, arts and crafts displays, and more at the festival site daily. Balloon flights, glows, and tethered rides (weather and wind permitting) add to the fun at dawn and dusk. 

When do hot air balloons fly?
Morning flights are scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings and take place between 6 AM - 8 AM depending on the wind and weather. Flights take place before the festival is open on the grounds at OWA Parks & Resort. Tune your radio to WHEP Radio Baldwin 92.5 FM for live broadcasting of flight plans. Listen and find out their launch sites and flight paths so you can catch them in the skies! **NOTE: No festival activities are scheduled for Sunday at OWA**

We are often asked the "when and where" on hot air balloon flights. Check out our go-to local hot air balloon expert, Tommy Rachel on WKRG for answers! Tommy Rachel, pilot and owner of Taking Off Hot Air Balloon Co., (our 2020 SBCC Walton M. Vines Free Enterprise Person of the Year), first pitched the hot air balloon festival idea many years ago to his fellow aeronauts, and now in 2023, it's in its 19th year. 

Why are balloons not visible all through the day?
Hot air balloon pilots can control the altitude of the balloon very finely when surface winds are calm by heating or venting the air inside the balloon. During the day these light surface winds are broken up by “thermals.” Thermals are rising columns of warm air that spiral skywards, caused by the heating effect of the sun on the ground. Birds and glider pilots love them but for a hot air balloon, thermals make it very difficult to control the balloon. So, the warmer the day the greater the possibility of thermals. This is the reason that dusk and dawn are the most optimal times to inflate.

When do balloons fly?
Balloons fly early in the morning (around dawn) and late in the afternoon (around dusk). All flights are weather dependent. Balloons can only fly in perfect weather, including wind speeds of 7mph or less.

When do you decide if balloons will fly?
Our experienced balloonmeister monitors weather conditions right up until scheduled flight times to ensure flight safety, which is always our number one priority. Variations of wind speeds at various altitudes, as well as other weather conditions, cannot be pinpoint-forecasted for specific flight locations in advance. Therefore, they must be monitored up until scheduled flight time when a final determination is made.

See More FAQs HERE
 

Schedule of Events:

• 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Festival open with food vendors, arts & craft and retail vendors. 
• 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Funky Lampshades*
• 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm - Free Lawn Games, Balloon Artist & Face Painter on OWA Island
• 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Doctor Zarr's Amazing Funk Monster*
• 7:30 pm – Balloon Glow (weather and wind permitting)

• 11:00 am – 10:00 pm – Festival open with food vendors, arts & craft and retail vendors. 
• 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo**
• 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Free Balloon Artist on OWA Island
• 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm, ever 30 minutes - Balloon Pop Kids Games on OWA Island
• 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm - Free Face Painter on OWA Island (30 minute break every 3 hours)
• 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Interactive Hot Air Balloon Display (weather and wind permitting) 
• 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm - Free Lawn Games on OWA Island
• 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Hot Air Balloon Pilots**
• 2:30 pm - 6:30 pm - Scavenger Hint in Downtown OWA
• 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Grits and Greens*
• 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Ryan Dyer Band*
• 7:30 pm – Tethered Rides and Balloon Glow begin (weather and wind permitting)
• 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm – D Play*

• 11:00 am – 10:00 pm – Festival open with food vendors, arts & craft and retail vendors. 
• 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo**
• 11:30 am - 12:00 pm - National Anthem by Coastal Voices Praise
• 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm - Pow Wow Club Performance
• 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Free Balloon Artist on OWA Island
• 12:30 pm - 6:30 pm - Free Lawn Games on OWA Island
• 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm - Jacob Brock*
• 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm, every hour - Kids Balloon Building Contest and Balloon Races on OWA Island
• 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Interactive Hot Air Balloon Display (weather and wind permitting) 
• 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Hot Air Balloon Pilots**
• 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm - Bangarang Peter*
• 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Ben Loftin & The Family*
• 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Ryan Dyer Band*
• 7:30 pm – Tethered Rides and Balloon Glow begin (weather and wind permitting)
• 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm – The Red Clay Strays*