The Arkansas State Hot Air Balloon Festival will host 31 hot air balloon pilots the weekend of Sept. 13-14. A detailed schedule of events is posted on Facebook at Explore Harrison. Admission to the festival activities is free. Visit ArkansasBalloonFestival.com for specific pricing of the additional activities.
Harrison has hosted this event for 30 years, and organizers are excited about the positive response and having a waiting list of pilots.
Pilots may be flying some practice and media flights on Friday morning.
Gates will open at the Anstaff Soccer Fields at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13. The evening’s activities include a Boy Scout Kid’s Zone, a petting zoo, and potentially helicopter rides.
Food and vendors will be available from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Chris Luneau and the White Buffalo will provide live music from 7-9 p.m., and the Explore Harrison Balloon Glow will be from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Weather permitting, the Balloon Key Grab Competition will be between 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. Gates will open at the Anstaff Soccer Complex at 8 a.m. Activities are scheduled for all day Saturday. From 2-3 p.m., Modern August will provide live music. Vendors and food will be available during the day, as will the petting zoo and helicopter rides. The kids' zone and bounce houses will begin at 12 p.m. The Harrison High School Jazz Band will provide live music at 4:30 p.m.
Raised on Radio will perform live from 7-9 p.m. while the balloon glow and tethered rides are offered. Tethered ride General Admission is $15, and a Go-Pass is $40; both can only be purchased at the festival. A limited number of VIP Passes will be available in advance for $100 with additional perks included. Further information on the VIP details will be posted on the Explore Harrison site.
The balloons are scheduled to fly again on Sunday morning from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The best place to see the balloons in flight is from the First Baptist Church parking lot at 1400 S. Pine Street. Please respect the church property while you enjoy the balloons in flight on Saturday and Sunday mornings.