Yes. ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED.

A 3 day-weekend pass, unlimited access to the Festival for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is available for purchase online only, $15 (+ fees) ~ advance ticket purchase required. A QR code to our ticket page will be available at the admission gate onsite for ticket purchases via your mobile device. Buy online today and save time at the gate. Volunteers will only scan/exchange for daily bracelet. Parking passes are not sold in advance due to limited availability.

Tickets are available on the home page, schedule of events page, and tickets page. Tickets go on sale the first week of June.

The Festival created a 3-day pass in order to accommodate the wide spread of activities that occur on any given day. As the balloons launch very early in the morning (begins at 5:45am), you can take advantage of all of the other activities that the Festival has to offer (carnival, vendors, car show, music on the main stage, kid's action zone, and more).

Close and convenient parking is available on the Tigard High School field for $15/day. Debit, Credit, or Apple Pay only – no cash. The Festival does not pre-sell general lot parking passes. Spaces are limited and lot parking is subject to availability.

Parking fees are an important part of the Festival’s charitable giving and benefits Tigard Breakfast Rotary Club & Tigard High School Boosters. The Parking entrance is at the Tigard High School Swim Center Parking Lot.

Shuttle: There is a short walk down the Cook Park hill to the Festival grounds or you may ride the shuttle for only $2 (small children ride free on a lap). Debit, Credit, or Apple Pay only – no cash.

The Festival has three (3) admission tents. The Main admission tent is located at the southwest corner of the Tigard High School athletic field near 92nd & Waverly. This mostly serves those who parked at the high school or walked in from neighborhoods along Durham. The East admission tent is located on the east end of Cook Park near the toddler playground and butterfly garden. Access from the path coming from Tualatin Community Park or 85th Ave. The West admission tent is located on the west end of Cook Park near the basketball/sand volleyball courts. Access from Riverwood Ln in the Cook Park neighborhood. Visit the Tickets & Parking page for a map of park access points.

No. Due to a City ordinance on the athletic fields, no pets allowed in Cook Park during the event. Sorry for the inconvenience.

We provide handicap parking for our event; however, a large portion of the event is on manicured grass. Mobility can be a challenge depending on the abilities to maneuver safely on grass.

Yes, the Tigard High School Band will provide a great pancake breakfast each morning 6am-10am.

Tigard's Park & Rec is bringing back the 5k run in 2023! Visit our 5k Fun Run page for more details.

Of course, you can!! Get exercise and save money on parking! The Festival will have a bike check where you can safely leave your bike at the MAIN ENTRANCE ONLY from 5am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 5am to 5pm on Sunday. The Festival will have an area to lock your own bikes up (bring your own lock) at both the East and West entrances.

No. The closest RV Park is Roamers Rest, just a few miles away. Here is their contact info 17585 SW Pacific Hwy Tualatin, OR 97062. Phone: (503) 692-6350.

Yes. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed to be brought into the Festival.

Yes, the Festival is a 501(c)(3), and is currently accepting donations. For more info or to donate now, please contact info@tigardballoon.org.

As of 2019, the Festival no longer hosts a soccer tournament.

Weather and pilot permitting, balloons will only be onsite for morning launches 5:45-6:15am (balloons may be visible in the sky longer depending on wind speed), tether rides (6:30-7:30am or as long as fuel lasts and weather permits) and Night Glow (sunset).

Hot air balloons can only fly in stable air and no rain (including foreseeable rain). During the day, the sun heats the earth, which creates thermals making it unstable for balloons to fly.

Balloons will follow the direction of the wind and for the Tigard Festival of Balloons that wind needs to be blowing generally south to avoid populated areas to the north. Look for the balloons over Tigard, Tualatin, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Aurora or Woodburn.

Arrive between 5-5:30AM for morning launches. Keep in mind there is parking and a walk to the field. If you are waiting at home for confirmation the balloons are launching, it may be too late by the time you arrive.

Due to heavy traffic (especially Saturday) it is best to arrive before 6PM for the Night Glow.

Morning launches will be announced at approximately 5:30am following the 5:15am pilot briefing. Night Glow will be announced at approximately 8:30pm following the 8:15pm pilot briefing. Continuous updates may not be available. If you are waiting at home for confirmation the balloons are launching, it may be too late by the time you arrive. Balloon activities will be suspended if it is raining.

Morning launches and Night Glows are located on the Nicoli Athletic Fields for safety purposes. This field is located to the left (East) of 92nd Ave at the bottom of the hill.

Tether rides are located on the main event field. This field is located to the right (West) of 92nd Ave at the bottom of the hill.

The Festival does NOT sell or provide hot air balloon rides (flights) to the public during the event. Contact Vista Balloon Adventures (503-625-7385) or Portland Rose Balloons (503-638-1301) about a balloon ride.

Tethered rides are available 6:30-7:30am each morning (weather permitting and pilot permitting) or as long as fuel is available on the Main Event field. Rides are FREE with paid admission. Riders must be at least 3 years old and able to stand on their own for safety reasons. Registration begins at 6:15am. Tethered rides are first come first serve. Participants must sign a waiver. Look for the sign up table on the Main Event field next to each balloon for the waiver and to receive a ride ticket.

RAIN: If it is raining or forecasted to rain, balloons due not fly.

WIND: Balloons fly best in light and stable winds of 4-6 miles per hour. Maximum safe winds are 8-10 mph. It’s not just the surface winds, but winds up to 9,000 feet. Higher winds tell us if we might encounter issues such as wind shear, turbulence, or strong surface winds later during the flight. Even if there are no winds to speak of at the surface, the winds aloft may determine our decision not to fly.

The hot air balloons are definitely the featured attraction of the Festival, but sometimes the weather prevents the balloon activities, even mild wind speeds can keep balloons from morning launches or night glows. Fortunately, there are many other activities to enjoy at the Festival. Spend the afternoon shopping at the craft and vendor booths, eating great food from local food vendors, and enjoying thrilling Funtastic carnival rides and games. On Friday and Saturday evenings the main stage comes to life with live music. Grab a beer or wine from the Beer Garden and enjoy the night with friends and family.

Yes. Friday is Carnival Discount Day. All You Can Ride and Festival Admission (plus service fee). Unlimited carnival rides (not valid on food or games). Individual ticket packages are also available for purchase in advance online. BUY TICKETS HERE. Please review all rules and restrictions prior to purchase. Funtastic Traveling Shows sets all prices and ticket requirements. Contact Funtastic directly regarding their prices.

Individual tickets and unlimited ride passes are available for purchase at any Funtastic Carnival Ticket Booth at the Festival. Riders must be 2 years of age or older and meet height requirements to ride. Each ride requires 11-12 tickets each to ride. BUY TICKETS HERE. Please review all rules and restrictions prior to purchase. Funtastic Traveling Shows sets all prices and ticket requirements. Contact Funtastic directly regarding their prices.

No, you can purchase a weekend admission pass online for $15 (plus $1.40 delivery fee), and an unlimited carnival rides pass at the carnival ticket booths. Please review all rules and restrictions prior to purchase. Funtastic Traveling Shows sets all prices and ticket requirements. Contact Funtastic directly regarding their prices.

Yes. A Hot Air Balloon is a type of Aircraft just as gliders, helicopters, seaplanes, fixed wing airplanes are also types of Aircraft

Yes. First a Pilot must be trained to fly a Hot Air Balloon and then licensed by the FAA. Next the FAA writes the rules about how Aircraft may be flown. Balloon Pilots observe these ‘rules of the road’ just like Airline Pilots. In fact it’s the same rule book used by both.

Balloons come in various sizes. The size is determined by the number of cubic feet of air that can be contained within the envelope. Sizes range from as small as 30,000 cubic feet or as large as over 300,000 cubic feet. Most have difficulty relating cubic feet to something they are familiar with. A basketball or shoe box is about 1 cubic foot in size.

Pilots and Owners of Hot Air Balloons may perform some routine maintenance on their Aircraft, much like checking the air pressure or changing the oil in your vehicle. Maintenance requiring repair or disassembly of parts must be performed by licensed repair persons at licensed repair stations. The manufacturer of the Balloon determines what can be maintained by the Pilot and what must be performed by the Repair Station. In addition, the FAA determines the frequency in which all Balloons must undergo a complete inspection called an Annual Inspection.

The balloon is prepared by spreading the envelope (the big fabric portion) out on the ground, with the basket attached to it and lying over on its side. A gasoline-powered fan is normally used to inflate the balloon with cold air until it is packed full, and then the propane burners are ignited to heat the balloon up. At this point, the balloon will slowly stand up, and then it's the ground crew’s job to hold the basket down with their collective weight while the pilot continues his preflight checks and boards passengers. When all is ready to go, the pilot gives his crew the signal for "weight off," and with a few more blasts of the burner, takes to the sky!

A balloon flies because the air inside the envelope is hotter than the air outside (known as ambient air). Although some people prefer more technical explanations, it really is that simple! The burners heat the air inside and allow the pilot to control the rate of ascent and descent. When it's time to come down, the pilot can either let the air in the envelope cool off on its own, or he can open a vent at the top of the balloon to let some air out - either way works. When it's time to land, the pilot will open the deflation port all the way to spill the air out the top and deflate the balloon. The balloon will then lie on its side and patiently wait to be packed up by the pilot and crew.

Anyone can fly in a balloon, but to fly one you must become an F.A.A. licensed balloon pilot.

There are two levels of balloon pilot ratings. The first is a private pilot. The pilot must have at least 10 hours of flight time in free balloons; must pass a written test, oral test and flight check prior to being issued a private pilot’s license by the FAA. The second rating is a commercial pilot. The commercial pilot must have at least 35 hours of flight time in free balloons; must pass an additional written, oral and flight check prior to being issued a commercial pilot’s license by the FAA.

First "Official" thing to do is to apply for a Student Pilots' certificate which is needed to be able to make your solo flight and later flight tests with an examiner. To be a student pilot, you must be at least 14 years old and understand the English language, among other minor things.

You might have already received and logged some ground and flight instruction at this point, but if not, what are you waiting for?

The next phase is to find an instructor willing to teach you. Any commercial balloon pilot in the U.S. has the privileges of acting as balloon flight instructor, so there will be a number of pilots to help you get on your way. Training involves at least 10 hours of flight instruction, passing a written knowledge test, extensive ground instruction, and finally passing a flight examination with an F.A.A. inspector (also known as a Practical Test). Pass that, and you'll be granted your Private Pilot's Certificate for Hot Air Balloons! A private pilots' certificate allows you to take passengers up, but to be able to operate for hire, you must earn your Commercial hot air balloon pilots' certificate. This involves at least 35 hours of flight time and a much more stringent and demanding flight test.

Easy! Find a balloon pilot near you and give him or her a call or email. Most pilots will be delighted to have you come out and get involved the next time they go flying. The more help, the merrier!

Flights take place at sunrise. Hot Air Balloons are not able to fly during the day due to thermal activity, which makes the air unstable.

Hot Air Balloon passenger flights take place in winds less than 10 knots, with no rain or approaching storms in the immediate area. Flights also require visibility of at least 4 km.

Balloons operate through the basic principles of gravity and heat transfer. As air inside the balloon is heated, it rises. As the air inside the balloon cools, it descends. To make the balloon fly, an inflator fan fills it with cool air (cold packing), which is then heated by the balloon’s burners. When the air is warmed to the point it is able to lift the balloon, equilibrium is achieved.

Winds determine a balloon’s direction. Balloonists can steer a balloon, to a limited extent, by adjusting the balloon’s altitude to make use of different wind speeds and directions.

Balloons simply float with the wind. The pilot can control the balloon's altitude to find a wind going in the desired direction, but you cannot fly upwind or crosswind. Preflight planning insures the pilot knows which way the balloon will be traveling, and the pilot makes sure there are plenty of suitable landing sites downwind.

Propane in stainless steel fuel tanks. Balloons frequently carry between 10 and 60 gallons onboard. This quantity of fuel permits the 1 to 1 ½ hour flights normally experienced with a sufficient reserve supply remaining.

Winds are generally most favorable the first hours after sunrise and the last hours before sunset. The sun’s uneven heating of the earth’s surface causes strong, variable winds. In the morning, it takes a few hours for the sun to heat the earth’s surface enough to generate the thermal activity that creates wind. In the evening, the sun’s intensity has diminished enough to reduce winds to acceptable flight levels. Ideal winds are 3 to 6 mph.

From treetop level to 2,000 to 3,000 feet, depending on what the pilot is trying to accomplish. The world record in a balloon is over 32,000 feet!

New balloons can vary in size and amenities. A smaller sport balloon can run around $13,000 to $25,000 and can carry a pilot and up to 3 passengers. Commercial ride balloons are much larger and can run as much as $70,000 to $80,000 new. In addition, there’s always the cost of equipment (fans, radios, trailers, chase vehicles, etc.) in addition to the cost of the balloon.

A good ground crew can inflate and launch a balloon in fifteen minutes or less. It takes about the same amount of time to deflate and pack up the balloon after the flight.

The sun is the source of wind because it heats the earth unevenly. Sunlight falls directly on the equator, for example. The North Pole receives weaker, slanted rays of sunlight. Clouds may keep one area cool while another heats up. Water and land heat up at different rates. Hot air is lighter than cool air, so it rises. As hot air rises, cool air slides in to replace it. The result: wind. It isn't safe to fly during the daytime when different pockets of air are rising and falling.

A chase crew follows along in a van or truck. The chase crew is in radio contact with the pilot, so they can be there when the balloon lands (or soon afterwards).

Rip-stop nylon is the most common material. Polyester and other fabrics are sometimes used. The lower portions around the opening are usually made from a fire-resistant material like Nomex, similar to what race car drivers and firemen wear.