Las Vegas Balloon Festival

Thanks to Teri C. for creating this event way, way back--I said "I'm in!" a long time ago and then, bam, it's the end of October already! My son and I got up early, parked at the hospital, ran some miles in the neighborhood and got back in time to watch the balloons start to launch around 7:15am. At first I thought there would only be 3 or 4 because there weren't that many getting set up, but then it turned out to be at least 9 or 10. There were also three balloons in the sky that launched from another location. So, it's not a huge festival, but it's free and definitely a cool thing to see up close. I'm glad that we got to go and we even ran into Teri C. and her family there. A perfect way to start a beautiful October morning in Las Vegas. You should definitely go next year; we will be back. Up, up, and away!

I don't come from Albuquerque where the biggest Balloonfest is held but I do come from Canton, Ohio where they have the Football Hall of Fame Balloon Festival every year. My mom even crewed for several of the balloon teams through out the years growing up. They took off from our backyard where we got to help with all of it, "earning" our rides. Thank you to Yelp for bringing this event to my attention! I couldn't get up for the launches, dang it I like sleeping but we did make it down for the Glow on Saturday night. I was so excited to show the BF a piece of my childhood! It was an awesome to reminisce and though this was a far stretch of what the Balloon Classic is, only five balloons at the Glow tonight, it is enough to satisfy an old memory. The Glow is where the hot air balloons inflate and tether, stay to the ground, and hit their propane fueled guns to light up the balloons. They do waves and random light ups and popcorn, where they do short bursts. It's a cool thing to see and a great picture shots! Now imagine more of them! That's how the Balloon Classic is. I think now I'll try to make my way to Albuquerque next year to experience it! Thanks again Yelp! Another reason you're fantastic!

We went last night around 6 for the balloon glow. The place was PACKED. The glow was a total joke. There were, like, half the balloons this year than there were last! It seemed very disorganized, and almost like it was conducted on a whim, like an afterthought. It was short, and not nearly as entertaining as I remember it being last year. Getting the kids on rides was a mess. The lines were all over the place and there was no one directing them, so people were cutting from left and right. The woman running the carousel had NO clue what she was doing. It took FOREVER to load the merry go round and she would leave tons of spots empty. We were so excited to bring my toddler this year, and even raved about this event to my cousins and their kids who were in town. It was a bit of an embarrassment. I think we'll skip it next year.

10-22-17~Second time I've attending the balloon festival. It's been a big unorganized event both times for the balloon ride. I didn't get to ride one this year. Not sure why. After waiting for tickets for 40 mins someone finally came up and said no more tickets would be sold. No explanation. He walked off after the announcement. I will not attend this festival again. Everything else is set up great. Carnival rides, games, items for sale, vendors, and even free hair cuts for the guys this year. The actual tandem balloon rides...don't waste your time.

Arrived around 10am for the balloon and kid rides. There wasn't much of a line that early since many people were still getting there. The tethered balloon ride was $10/person which wasn't bad, especially when proceeds go to a good cause. Food, snacks, drinks, and rides were a bit pricey but again, some may go to proceeds not to mention, what carnival isn't pricey? Originally we were buying $20 ($1 each) worth of tickets for a 2 and 4 year old, then we switched to $40 books. The rides itself were OK but the ruling on WHO could ride was a bit disturbing. I've always seen a "must meet this line" height requirement but I've never seen a "you must be BELOW this line" requirement. A lot of the rides stating you need to be 42" but not over 52". Some even shorter then that. The real good games were the cash paying toss games. We ended up winning lots of stuffed animals for the girls. A lot of the vendors there had great giveaways for the kids. They received stethoscopes, stuff kangaroos, wrist bands, and even more. Aside from many of the rides having height restrictions, the festival was actually nice.

Very underwhelming experience. Came on Sunday, maybe that was the problem, it seemed in a real wind down mode. I don't know if two balloons offering tethered rides warrant the pompous title of a "festival". I think the 6 am launch and the lighting on Friday and Saturday nights were a highlight, but by 12 pm Sunday the glamour wore off. The big positive was the fact that kids got to experience going up in a hot air balloon at $10/head- unique experience and worth the trip across town. However, everything else was just a typical carnival experience, having nothing to do with hot air balloons- rides, games and fried food. One of the rides took my kids about 20 minutes and at least 5 stops/restarts. First they weren't sitting exactly as they should, I think it had to do with weight distribution as they were the only ones on it, so the ride was stopped and restarted three times as more people got in and everyone had to be arranged just so. Additional stops to re-arrange and school the riders. Of course, after 20 min of this stop and go circus on this high speed ride that goes in circle, my 11 YO turned green and promptly threw up upon exiting. What a mess. All in all, check the schedule and either go for launch at 6 am or night ceremony on Friday/Saturday. Otherwise it's just a carnival.

Attended both Friday and Saturday mornings for the mass ascension. As old as I am, I still get excited to see the balloons inflated and launch. I also attended the evening glow. Both times presented great opportunities for people to get close and see the process. The balloon pilots were friendly and acted like they were having a great time. I got some awesome pictures with my grandkids. We did not go to the carnival, so I cant comment on that aspect. We did stop by many of the booths and found the vendors to be helpful and friendly. I think it is wonderful that Southern Hills Hospital sponsors this event, especially since the proceeds go to the Southern Hills Hospital scholarship fund for Clark County students interested in healthcare careers. What a great way to connect with the community and work with our school district.