Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival 2024, Calgary

Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival is an annual ballooning event taking place in High River, Alberta, about 40 miles (70 km) south of Calgary. People also call it High River Balloon Festival. The festivities stretch over five days in late September and incorporate scheduled hot air balloon flights, passenger rides, and a balloon glow. For the event schedule, please go to the official website—you can find it in the External Resources below.

Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival Highlights

Balloon Glow

One of the main crowd pleasers at the Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival must be Friday's balloon glow. It's normally expected at Wallaceville Glow Site between 5 pm and 9 pm. Beyond ballooning experience, this free event boast some pre-Glow activities, such as walk-in balloon, DJ, and dancers. These start right after sunset. Grab some treats from food vendors on site and indulge in the sight of gentle giants glowing in the night.

Balloon Rides

The best part of the festival is definitely flying in a hot air balloon. Due to the most favorable weather conditions, the rides take place only at sunrise and two hours before sunset and last for approximately 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Only licensed pilots with at least 50 hours of experience can fly passengers at the Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival.

As for the clothing, you should dress according to the day's temperatures as balloons won't rise too high, so you won't feel any considerable change. Anyways, you must wear long pants, flat shoes, a light jacket, and a hat during your flight. And don't forget to pack your binoculars and cameras to capture the sweeping views from 500 feet (150 m) in the air.

Weather Conditions

Balloon flights take place in wind speeds of less than 10 knots (approximately 18 km/h), with no rain or approaching storms in the immediate vicinity. Visibility of at least 4 km is also required for flights.