Celebrating 45 years the weekend features hot air balloons, concerts on Fox 4 Stage, fireworks, drone show and RE/MAX of Texas parachute exhibition.
H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival will light the sky with hot air balloons again this year. The event Sept. 19-22 at Oak Point Park includes pilots with a total of 37,500 hours of flight time and will be led by Balloonmeister and seasoned aviator Pat Cannon, president of Balloon Federation of America.
Participating hot air balloons and pilots include:
IMON8 – Jeff Abel of Haslet
Highly Cool for Fox 4 – Keith Berry of Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Excellence – Billy Broker of Plano and Pat Cannon
Big Red Again – Joe Calabrette of Hickory Creek
H-E-B – Amie Cato of Reno
Whisk Away – Amie Cato of Reno
Annie the Ladybug – Michael Celentano of Frisco
Larry the Bear – Brian Chase of Moscow, Pennsylvania
Haunted Mansion – Darrell Duer Jr. of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Flying Saucer – Charles Edwards of Palm Harbor, Florida
Jersey Lilly – Bob Evans of Center
Ziggy – Mike Fielding of Oak Point
Amelia Bearhart – Michael Ford of Fort Worth
Star Stepper – Joshua Goll of Longview
UpRohr 2 – Dave Griffin of Frisco
Stardust – Amanda Ibbotson-Sullivan of Fort Worth
First Due – Clayton Kemp of Frisco
Sky Sailor – Steve LeMay of McKinney and Terry Lance of Frisco
Mango the Seahorse – Rollie Little of Glendale, Arizona, and Jacob Little of Phoenix, Arizona
RE/MAX – Steve Lombardi of Edgewood
Fired Up Too – Michael Marx of Prosper
Giddy Up – Trevor Matejowsky of Dallas
Freedom Breeze – Collin McClung of Longview
Purple People Eater – Alisa Metzler of Newmanstown, Pennsylvania
C-TOT – Jason Provost of Hurst
Gizzmo – Matt Robison of Fort Worth
UpRohr – Brian Rohr of Lucas
Spirit’s Rainbow – Michael Scott of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
No Problemz – Robert Snyder of Austin
North Wind – Kerry Speicher of Longview
Dawn’s Light – Lillian Speicher of Longview
Mister Z – Dan Stukas of Central, South Carolina
Lil Nugget – Scott Vesely of Frisco
Lovin’ Life in the Air – Lowell White of Forney
Calypso – Eric Wiggins of Longview
Cosmic Crisp Apple – Steve Wilkinson of Palm Desert, California
“This year we invite attendees to walk inside a cold inflated hot air balloon envelope that will remain laying on the ground. We’ve partnered with Uplifting Adventures to create an experience that allows an inside out view, great photos, and educational facts about the fabric of the envelope, structure of the basket and more. The walk thru is free for all ages and scheduled at 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and from 4- 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday,” stated Amy Leone, balloon operations coordinator and vice/chair – secretary on the Plano Balloon Festival Board of Directors.
The activities will happen if the weather permits.
The event kicks off with a family-friendly concert by the Plano Symphony Orchestra on the FOX4 Main Stage on Thursday, Sept. 19. The celebration continues with Ice House Band presented by Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital, Fireworks Show by Pyrotex and Drone Shows by Sky Elements. Attractions also include the RE/MAX Parachute Team, more than 30 food concessionaires, and vendors to shop.
The Central Market Kids Fun Zone will feature carnival rides, bouncy inflatable slides, and craft activity stations.
Festival Dates & Hours
Sept. 19 – 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Sept. 20 – 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Sept. 21 – 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sept. 22 – 6 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Tickets & Parking
Admission, tickets and parking pricing are as follows:
• $10 General Admission
• $5 Kids Ages 3-12
• $5 Seniors 65 and Over
• FREE for Kids 36” and Under
• $10 Off-site Parking and $15 Prime Parking
• $20 All Day Kids Fun Zone Ride Wristband
• $50 VIP Plano Symphony Orchestra Concert
The H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival is sponsored by H-E-B, Central Market, RE/MAX, BMW, Baylor Scott & White the Heart Hospital Plano, McKinney, Denton, FOX 4 and MORE 27.
More information is available at www.planoballoonfest.org.
The Plano Balloon Festival, Inc. takes place in an outdoor, uncovered venue and has a no refund policy. In the unlikely event the festival is suspended or cancelled due to inclement weather, city, state, national, or local public health concerns/restrictions, force majeure or other causes beyond festival control there will be no refunds or a rescheduled date. When severe weather conditions exist in close proximity to the festival grounds, organizers may choose to delay the event for an hour or more before deciding to cancel or proceed.