Courtesy Adirondack Balloon Festival
Balloons will take to the skies again in the Glens Falls/Lake George area when the Adirondack Balloon Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 19-22.
It will be the 47th annual event.
It kicks off at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 19 at Crandall Park in Glens Falls with a musical performance by the Lustre Kings. A block party featuring live music, balloon baskets on display, a car show, and kid’s activities will be held in the park from 6-9:30 p.m.
A flight of balloons will go up at 5:15 p.m.
Events continue through the weekend at Floyd Bennett Memorial Airport in Queensbury.
Flight times are approximate and all activities are weather permitting. There is no smoking, no dogs allowed, and no drones or remote control aircraft are allowed.
On Friday, at the airport, gates open at 3 p.m. A craft fair will be hosted by Zonta with 50-plus vendors, kid’s activities and food vendors.
On Saturday, a “big balloon breakfast” will be held from 5-10 a.m. From 5-7 a.m. food vendors will be open for business. There will be a craft fair hosted by Zonta, kids activities, including bounce houses, as well as crafts and games. A flight of up to 100 Balloons will be at 6:30 a.m.
Musical performances by Pluck & Rail will take place 2:30-4:30 p.m.; a musical performance by The High Peaks Bluegrass Band 5-7 p.m.; and a flight of up to 100 Balloons at 5 p.m. At 8 p.m. will be “Lighting Up The Night – Airport Moonglow” with , 30-plus balloons.
There will be a musical Performance by Kevin McKrell and Orion Kribs 3:30-5:30 p.m. and at 5 p.m. a flight of up to 100 balloons.
Sunday at the airport will be the“Big Balloon Breakfast”5-10 a.m. Food vendors will be open for business, and the craft fair will be hosted by Zonta. There will be kids activities, including bounce houses, rock climbing wall and more.
At 6:30 a.m. there will be a “Walter’s Mass Ascension,” a simultaneous flight of up to 100 balloons.
At Crandall Park, there will be a musical performance from Across The Pond, food Vendors and kid’s activities 3-6 p.m. at 5 p.m. there will be a launch of up to 20 balloons.
Parking passes can be purchased online at www.adirondackballoonfest.org. Passes may also be purchased at the city clerk’s office at Glens Falls City Hall, Queensbury Town Hall, the Warren County Municipal Center ( treasurer’s office) and the Warren County Department of Public Works office in Warrensburg.
The schedule is available at the festival website.
The Adirondack Balloon Festival is a nonprofit organization governed and operated by volunteers. It relies on community support for funding. The festival has been a free-of-charge event. Organizers estimate it attracts 125,000-150,000 people to the region each year and has a substantial impact on the region’s economy.