Hot Air Balloons Paint Saint Louis Skies

Back for its’ 49th year and better than ever is the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. Families and friends gathered in Forest Park on Saturday, September 18th to take part in everything from food trucks and music, to performances, games, and of course, the balloon race itself.

After high winds prevented balloons from taking flight in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to simply fly balloons around St. Louis without any crowds or race day fun, excitement was high in the crowd this year. Shawn McDonald, a Maryland Heights native who has been looking forward to this race for weeks, said “I couldn’t wait to come out here today and see the balloons with my friends. It’s definitely something you don’t see everyday, and it’s nice to just be in a crowd of people having a good time again. It feels normal.”

The Balloon Glow on Friday night got crowds excited for Saturday's show, as visitors had the chance to see the balloons up close and lit across the field. Food and fireworks added to the experience, with many in attendance to add to the atmosphere.

The weather was perfect as the crowd began to grow Saturday afternoon, some with picnics and many kids running around. As the time grew closer, the balloons began to lay out throughout the fields. As the “hare” balloon, the PNC Bank Balloon launched about 15 minutes before any others, and then the race was on. Once it found a suitable location the hare balloon landed and formed an X formation. In waves, about 50 hot air balloons launched as the skies over Saint Louis looked like something out of a movie. Whichever balloon dropped its bags closest to the hare balloon’s X was deemed winner of the race.

Director of Communications and Event Productions Jessica Stegen was able to offer a little more insight on the race. “The balloons can’t launch any earlier than about 4:15 and then there’s this 2 hour window we have to launch the balloons. We wait until the winds are safest for launch and winds are calm enough for all the balloons to launch.”

The event is free every year, unless guests want to purchase VIP experiences which includes amenities such as private bathrooms, parking passes, premier views and more. Information on this year’s race as well as information in the future for next year’s race can be found at https://greatforestparkballoonrace.com .

Images from Friday night's Balloon Glow.