Top 10 Hot Air Balloon Destinations

Temecula, CA

Around the U.S. and in Canada, annual festivals are dedicated to colorful hot air balloons, a delight to adults and children alike. Balloon festivals are an excuse to spend time outdoors with your family and friends, enjoying food, live music, craft fairs, and, of course, the biggest and brightest hot air balloons from around the world. Events range from small low-key gatherings over a weekend to week-long celebrations complete with competitions. Admission is often free or less than $20.

The Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival celebrates an unbeatable combination of hot air balloons, local wines, and spectacular Southern California weather over a three-day weekend in early June. Though Temecula Valley's festival is small compared to some, it has been a popular annual event for 25 years running. Admission starts at $18.

(Photo: Temecula Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Thanks to its annual International Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque is known as the "Hot Air Balloon Capital of the World." Pilots from around the globe bring balloons of all shapes and sizes to New Mexico during the week-long festival, held October 6 to 14 this year. Tickets cost $6.

The festival's displays go way beyond traditional hot air balloons. The Wells Fargo Special Shape Glowdeo is a can't-miss event, when animals, monsters, cars, and other funky-shaped balloons are fired up at once, followed by a huge fireworks display.

(Photo: Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Inc.)

In the tradition of gambling in Nevada, the Great Reno Balloon Race is more a series of outlandish competitions than a showcase of hot air balloons. Watch as pilots compete in a blackjack tournament, tossing beanbags at four-foot playing cards spread out on the field—the first to reach 21 wins.

(Photo: The Great Reno Balloon Race)

Canada has its own share of hot air balloon festivals. The Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, held in the Outaouais region of Quebec, is the fifth largest in the world. Several dozen balloons are displayed in this four-day event over Labor Day weekend, including shaped balloons that visitors won't soon forget: a space shuttle, a giant birthday cake, Humpty Dumpty, and Jesus. Single-day tickets cost $15.

(Photo: Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival)

Memorial Day weekend 2007 marked the 30th anniversary of the Alabama Jubilee Hot-Air Balloon Classic, the oldest balloon race in the mid-South. Held at Decatur's Point Mallard Park, the jubilee draws more than 60 hot air balloons over two days. Admission is free.

(Photo: Decatur Convention and Visitors Bureau)

Colorado Springs hosts the largest and longest-running hot-air balloon festival in the Rockies. For 30 years, the Colorado Balloon Classic has drawn crowds to Memorial Park for this free, family-friendly event, held Labor Day weekend. More than 100 balloons participated this year.

(Photo: Colorado Balloon Classic)

Central New Jersey hosts the largest summertime balloon and music festival in North America. The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning draws up to 125 hot air balloons in late July. The three-day event, located 50 miles from New York City and 60 from Philadelphia attracts as many as 175,000 people, and advance admission costs $17.

(Photo: Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning)

On the weekend following Labor Day, the Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta lights up the sky in Sussex, New Brunswick. Dubbed "Atlantic Canada's Most Colourful Festival," this free festival showcases more than 30 hot air balloons. In addition, the town of Sussex welcomes ballooners by decorating residences and fields with twinkly white lights and white sheets.

(Photo: Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta)

Held at the East Texas Regional Airport in mid-July, the Great Texas Balloon Race is a much-anticipated annual event in Texas Lake Country. In addition to standard festival staples such as evening balloon glows, live music, and food vendors, the event also features competitive challenges. Admission costs up to $10.

(Photo: Longview Convention and Visitors Bureau)

The tiny village of Quechee, Vermont, has hosted a hot air balloon festival for 28 years, and it has become the town's most eagerly anticipated event. Visitors from around New England flock to the event, filling up the town's hotel rooms, B&Bs, and campgrounds far in advance. This year saw more than 20 balloons in mid-June, during Father's Day weekend. Dads get in for half price on the holiday.

(Photo: Rick Russell, Hartford, VT, Chamber of Commerce)