Carolina BalloonFest 2023

Carolina BalloonFest 

October 20-22, 2023

Carolina BalloonFest
260 Hangar Dr.
Statesville, NC 28677

Tickets: $15 plus 

In its 48th year, Statesville is home to the second oldest hot air balloon festival in the country. Whether you are looking to take a ride in a hot air balloon or just take in the sights, the festival has something for everyone. You can find live music across two stages, a kids’ zone, an artisan village and marketplace, a North Carolina wine and craft beer garden, aerialist circus performances, and even skydiving expeditions. Be sure to plan your visit around one of the three planned mass ascensions of hot air balloons as they color the Carolina blue sky.

Carolina BalloonFest Schedule:

Friday, October 20

3:00 p.m. – Gates Open
3:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Kids Zone
3:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Wine & Craft Beer Garden
3:00 – 8:15 p.m. – Live Music (Schedule)
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Mass Ascension Launch
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Evening Balloon Glow
8:30 p.m. – Gates Close

Saturday, October 21

7:00 a.m. – Gates Open
7:30 – 9:00 a.m. – Hot Air Balloon Competition
9:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Kids Zone
10:00 a.m. – 8:15 p.m. – Live Music (Schedule)
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. – Wine & Craft Beer Garden
1:45 p.m. – Skydiving Exhibition
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Pilot Meet and Greet
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Mass Ascension
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Evening Balloon Glow
8:30 p.m. – Gates Close

Sunday, October 22

7:00 a.m. – Gates Open
7:30 a.m. – Balloon Chasers 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run
7:30 – 9:00 a.m. – Hot Air Balloon Competition
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Kids Zone
10:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Live Music (Schedule)
10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Wine & Craft Beer Garden
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Pilot Meet and Greet
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Mass Ascension Launch
6:00 p.m. – Gates Close

Interested in booking a ride on a hot air balloon? Here is everything you need know.

Free parking is also available at the Iredell County Fairgrounds (630 N. Main St. in Troutman, NC), with free charter bus shuttle rides to and from the festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This is an eight-minute commute to Carolina BalloonFest.

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