Carolina Balloon Fest

Absolutely loved this ballon fest! We only went on Saturday and tickets online were $25 but kids under 6 were free! We got there at 7:30am so parking was super easy! Definitely get the parking pass ($15), totally worth it especially if you have a young kiddo like we did. Parking and the event is in a grassy field. We packed water, snacks, blankets and even clothes to change when it warmed up in the afternoon. We planned to stay for the morning balloons and the afternoon balloons so we were prepared.The balloons were so cool. And we were really close. They also did tethered balloon rides and balloon flights for purchase. There were plenty of food stands , drinks areas and vendors. There was also a kids area with shows, bounce houses and hay bails for chilling. They only had porta-potties but never had to wait in line.They also do a night glow and for $2 you could walk inside a balloon getting inflated. This was such a fun family-friendly event with great photo opps. There were a lot of people but never felt overly crowded. We will be making this a family tradition!

This is a very cool event. It was my first year going but it's the 48th year of the festival. It is located in Statesville, NC about 3 hours west of Raleigh and 2 hrs east of Asheville. It's a weekend event Friday through Sunday. $20Ticket for entry. If you are interested, there are camp sites near by. I believe you are also allowed to bring your camper and stay on the grounds overnight (check website). PRO TIP: BUY $10 PARKING PASS WHEN YOU GET YOUR TICKET SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO PARK FAR AWAY AND TAKE SHUTTLE TO EVENT No seating is available in the fest. Bring your own chairs and blankets. There is a stage with bands that play all day, food stands and tucks, and vendor tents. PRO TIP: BRING CASH! Not a lot of vendors here take card. There was an ATM with a $4.50 service fee and a long line. We went to the event on Saturday and it was perfect weather 70, sunny, and no clouds. We were so excited to see the balloons! Unfortunately, good weather doesn't mean the balloons will fly. Conditions were too windy for them to fly and they couldn't even blow up until 5 pm. We were so disappointed but it's of no fault of the event. Just something to be aware could happen if you attend. They offered balloon rides for $10 but it is a 2 min ride and you barely leave the ground. In my opinion, not worth the extremely long wait. Overall, cool experience and would attend again.

What an AMAZING experience. Get there EARLY like 700am for the morning launch. The agenda says 8am for the launch, but that is like when they are IN the air!! You want to see them setup and inflate and all the fire and excitement starts EARLY. Once the launch happens, the balloons are up and over the horizon in a matter of 10-20 minutes... so if you think about getting there at 9am... you missed it... but DONT WORRY... the evening launch is awesome as well!The all-day activities move quickly as you wait for the evening launch. Plenty of fair-food items: waffles, chicken, greek, funnel-cake, sausage peppers and onions.... and plenty... LOTS of out-door toilets too.There were 3 balloons that were giving up-and-down tethered rides all day $10 a person for about 5 minutes of enjoyment. One balloon was cash-only, the other 2 took plastic. Line was LONG, but it moved quickly and was all-ages. Very safe, lots of staff managing the balloons, felt totally secure the entire time and professional managed.Several bands play through out the day, and they add a great atmosphere to the event. At the 2022 event, during the evening launch, there was this really cool Irish band that blew the bagpipes and pounded the drums for like 1-hour while the balloons prepared and then launched, it was like a mid-evil war party and added a lot of drama to the event.The evening launch was spectacular, with warmer weather at that time of day and a better understanding of where to sit and watch (choose the hill) about 20-25 balloons fill up and launch in the matter of 20 minutes. Its a race of sort, to get them all up in the air fast and then they magically just float away! A MUST-SEE for anyone.Parking: Get the VIP parking and be just 100 feet from the entrance. The general admissions parking is poorly organized and a nightmare.

To truly enjoy this, you have to go on the right day. First, you need to pick a day with clear weather! Balloons won't go up if it's not. Second. I'd wait and attend later on in the day, as there isn't as much going on before 4-5 pm. There are a lot of fun things for kids to do here! Bouncies, rock climbing, face painting, etc! The real fun started when they blew up the hot air balloon that lays on its side, that you can walk inside of and hit around beach balls! You definitely want to stick around for night time, as they tether a bunch of balloons and then do a light show with them where they all light their flames at the same time. It's so neat! I'll provide pictures. Lastly, we went up in a tethered balloon, which was definitely a fun experience for my daughter and I. If you do this festival right, I 10/10 recommend. I could definitely see the disappointment in attending if the weather ended up not cooperating though. The balloons are the best part, and what make the whole festival amazing.

My feelings are very similar to many that have been posted for the balloon festival this past weekend. I purchased tickets online along with a VIP parking pass. The parking pass had the same address as the festival tickets and with VIP, you think that you'll be closer to things. Traffic was heavy and very backed up on the 2-lane road getting to the airfield. My husband and I finally got up to where traffic was being directed and were told that we were in the wrong place. We had to drive 10 minutes back toward the area we had just come from. I guess the VIP parking was being serviced by a shuttle...? I'm not sure how that's a bonus, having to wait on someone else to show up and take you to your destination on their schedule. But that's what we were directed to do so we went. We got to the location, an elementary school, where there were already a lot of people waiting. It was obvious that they had been waiting a while. You could see the restlessness. We parked and waited about 30 minutes and there was still no transportation. We finally gave up and headed home. A 2+ hour round trip for no reason that I paid for. I'm not sure that I would go back.

Our family had a great time at the Carolina Balloon Fest. We bought tickets beforehand, which locked us into a day that has some uncooperative weather. They didn't do a mass ascension because of rain, and then they had to cancel the night glow because more rain was rolling in, but we had a great middle time of just watching the balloons inflate and exploring the booths. I think because of the rain, none of the promises bounce houses were available, which was a bummer. Basically, this event is HIGHLY weather dependent. You might want to wait to buy tickets until the day of, although they say if they run out of tickets they will stop selling. At the last minute, we purchased parking online too -- NO regrets. Best $10 we spent. It was nice to be able to walk in and out of the event. We started in the free lot that's 15 minutes away, and it looked like the shuttles were large Coach buses that were waiting to fill before they drove over. We have younger kids and we're happy we paid for parking right at the event. You have to buy it beforehand online. Do not forget camp chairs and blankets. The event takes place in a field. The ground is bumpy in places. I'd recommend a wagon over a stroller unless you have an amazing off-road stroller. Food is standard carnival food at carnival prices. We got some beef brisket and it was amazing. The kids got hot dogs and were happy. We will come back another year and try for a day with better weather. The event seemed well organized, but there was nothing anyone could do about the weather. It was a great way to spend a fall afternoon!

If I could give zero stars, I would. Parking on Saturday was a complete disaster! I PRE-paid for parking in addition to a festival ticket. When I arrived after an hour drive, the main parking lot was full and closed. I sat in a 3.5 mile long line of cars waiting to get in. We didn't move an inch! Same with the park-n-ride lot. The attendant closed that lot bc he had "nearly a thousand" people to get bused over and would never make it by sunset. My friends were in the same situation and we all missed the festival due to poor business practices and mismanagement of the parking. And get this...NO REFUNDS! A complete waste of my time & money.

SAVE YOUR MONEY!! Worst experience there's 7 balloons, laser show is horrible, they over charge for entry and everything inside. Everyone started leaving second the show started.

The information about when the balloons ascend was inaccurate on both the website and the pamphlet. The balloons are only there at the early morning and before they close for about 10 minutes a piece. We were given bad information about when to arrive. The website said the balloons ascended at 8am, so we drove an hour from home to see them, but in reality, they left at 7/7:30am. Same goes for the evening. The shuttles stop running 2 hours before the event ends, so if you had free parking, you would have to walk the 5 mile distance back to your vehicle. This event was poorly orchestrated especially for this to have been the 49th year. They need to do better! Everything is overpriced with no refunds. It's a shame to travel to see these balloons and potentially miss out because of misinformation. This was a terrible experience that ended up being a waste of our day.

If I could give a 0 I would. Despite arriving before the projected ascension, I was sent on a wild goose chance by police officers -- only to be in traffic for roughly 1.5 hours. Only to hear police officers say although the Facebook update says those with VIP/Preferred parking will be permitted, we cannot go in-- even associated with a vendor. Am I being refunded? I'm certain not.Oh & no ascension again!