A festival full of hot air – Sweetheart Balloon Rally & Airstream Show

As you might imagine, I go to a lot of events and festivals, and quite frankly, a lot of them look the same – beer garden, food vendors, kids’ area, 5K, pancake breakfast. This isn’t necessarily bad, especially in smaller communities, but theming a festival really makes the event stand out above the others.

One such event is happening the first weekend in August in Loveland, Colorado – and this one will stand out way about the others because it involves a lot of hot air – and no, this isn’t a political event.

Hot air balloon festivals are popular across Colorado, and in next week’s radio show, on KRFC 88.9 FM, I talk about balloon festivals and give you a resource to discover all of them.  ColoradoBalloonClub.net was the best online resource I have found for learning about where the balloon rallies are in Colorado.

The Sweetheart Balloon Rally and Airstream Show will be held Saturday and Sunday (August 4 & 5) at The Ranch during the Larimer County Fair & Rodeo. In the past this event was held in conjunction with the Old Fashion Corn Roast Festival at Old Fairgrounds Park, but with the addition of airstreams, more room was required.

The event not only features 20 hot air balloons that will take flight each morning, but also an Airstream Show. I’ve always had a fascination with these bubbly, silver trailers and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the public will have the opportunity to tour the 25 trailers that will be parked at the event for the entire weekend.

You’ll need to be to The Ranch by 6 a.m. to watch the hot air balloons take off on Saturday and Sunday, and be sure to pack your camera – these balloons will be very photogenic. On Sunday, early birds can enjoy a pancake breakfast, as well.

A Balloon Glow is scheduled for Saturday evening at 7:45 p.m. This involves the balloons going up to a certain height and all turning on their burners at the same time. I have never had the opportunity to see a balloon glow before, but I’ve heard from those who have that it’s a sight to remember.

The Sweetheart Balloon Rally and Airstream Show is a free event, but you can purchase hot air balloon rides on Sunday at the rate of $200/hour. To arrange a ride go to EngagingLoveland.org.

I am very excited to report that I will be going up in a hot air balloon on Friday morning in Loveland, so watch for tweets and Facebook posts of my ride!