A popular event takes to the skies around High River this coming week. More than 20 balloon pilots from Alberta and around the world are expected for the annual Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival, from Sept. 25 to 29 in High River.
During the festival, balloon flights take off daily from the Macleod Trail launch site, with the first scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on opening day. After that, departures are planned for 7:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. each day, but there are no evening flights on Sept. 27 or 29.
The schedule is weather-dependent and subject to change, and spectators are encouraged to check the festival's website or social media accounts for up-to-date information.
Balloon Glow: A Sky Full of Light
A balloon glow on Friday, Sept. 27 is a highlight of the event and allows spectators to walk among balloons that are inflated but stay on the ground. The event begins at 5 p.m. in Wallaceville, with pre-glow activities and food trucks. Pilots begin inflating their balloons about 30 minutes before sunset, wrapping up at 9 p.m. It’s free to watch the daily launches or attend the balloon glow. For more information, including schedules and maps, visit heritageinninternationalballoonfestival.com.
Parking and Traffic
With large crowds expected, there are several options for parking. Park N' Ride lots are set up on the north and south parts of town, with shuttles taking visitors to the glow site, and there is a Park N' Walk lot just to the north. Parking in those areas is $20 per vehicle and is cash only, as are some vendors, organizers say.
Free accessible parking is available at the south entrance only. Organizers say visitors should watch for updates on social media and should plan to arrive early. The event starts at 5 p.m. with traffic being blocked off on Centre Street starting at 4 p.m. The balloons will start inflating between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with the event wrapping up around 9 p.m. There are also shuttle buses to avoid all the parking congestion and you'll need to bring cash.
Festival Beyond the Glow
The Balloon Glow is just one part of the festival. Weather permitting, pilots fly from a launch site as many as two times per day. The next flights are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 28, and the final chance to fly is in the morning on Sept. 28.
Weather conditions, so far, have left the pilots grounded. Since the festival began on Wednesday, rain or wind has prevented all four scheduled launches. For more information, parking maps or schedules, see heritageinninternationalballoonfestival.com or Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival on Facebook.
Due to windy conditions, the hot air balloons were unable to fly this morning, but conditions look very favorable for an excellent show at tonight's Balloon Glow. Organizer Jamie Kinghorn made the announcement this morning at 7 a.m. during a live Facebook feed. However, Kinghorn added that it looks like it should be a great night for the Balloon Glow.
The Balloon Glow will have about a dozen or so balloons fill up the open field in Wallaceville and then while still grounded the pilots fill up the balloons and welcome everyone onto the field. The event starts at 5 p.m. with traffic being blocked off on Centre Street starting at 4 p.m. The balloons will start inflating between 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with the event wrapping up around 9 p.m. There are also shuttle buses to avoid all the parking congestion and you'll need to bring cash.
Celebrating Women of the Wind
Six balloon pilots, also known as aeronauts, are being celebrated in High River this weekend. At Wednesday's opening ceremony at the Heritage Inn in High River founder and organizer of the Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival, Jamie Kinghorn acknowledged the six women hot air balloon pilots.
Two local pilots caught the flying bug while volunteering on crews and now pilot balloons of their own. Cathy Dudgeon will be up in 'Queen Bee', which has been loaned to her this year, a change from her usual very colourful balloon. High River's Jenn Podruski will be piloting 'Louie,' a familiar sight for many as she's been flying in the festival since 2017.
Linda Then from Calgary is back again this year and along with her husband Walt they're flying 'Big Toy 2'. Brie Johnstone will be flying another bee-themed balloon called 'BeeLieve'.
Sanda Rolfe Whelan and her husband Bill Whelan are back from Ontario with their beehive balloon gracing the sky. Ginny Rieger rounds out the six women aeronauts and she came all the way up from Sheridan, Wyoming making her first appearance at the festival with her balloon 'Hot N Bothered'.
There will also 'bee' some other favourite shapes returning including Buster and Bella the British Bulldogs and Princess Nellie the pink elephant. Check here for balloon flight times. The festival wraps up on Sunday.
A Glow of Caution: Beware of Ticket Scams
Anyone planning on attending Balloon Glow at this year's Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival should be wary of anyone trying to sell tickets. A recent Facebook post on the Balloon Festival page cautions anyone attending the festival or Balloon Glow that the events are free, and anyone attempting to sell tickets is a scam.
The post points to an event listing for Balloon Glow on Showpass, saying that the event organizers are not selling tickets through the platform. In a statement and comment on the post, Showpass clarified that while there are event listings for the Balloon Festival and Balloon Glow, both pages are intended to provide free information and reminders about the events.
"Showpass is both a ticketing service and an event discovery platform designed to help people find great experiences. Our goal is to connect communities with amazing events while supporting organizers across Canada. For Balloon Glow, we’ve shared its information to help more people experience the magic, but we’re not involved in any sales process," the comment partially reads.
Both Showpass pages do include "Buy Tickets" buttons but clicking the button on the Balloon Festival page redirects the user to an article on the event, and the button offers a free event reminder on the Balloon Glow page. The festival runs from September 25-29, and Balloon Glow is set for Friday night starting at 5 p.m.
