Hot Air Balloon Festival in New Jersey

Billowing balloons will be soaring high above the Garden State this weekend at the 33^rd Annual QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, held July 24–26 at Solberg Airport in Readington, N.J. The international event is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America, and a sight to see as the beautiful balloons take flight above New Jersey’s Atlantic coastline.

The event attracts pilots from 25 states and four countries, as well as 165,000 attendees. Activities include watching daily ascensions, listening to live music and taking hot air balloon rides. The headliner band this year is Kansas. On Saturday night, all the balloons will be lit to glow throughout the night sky — a magical vision not to be missed.

© Gary718 | Dreamstime

Modern-day balloons consist of a rip-stop nylon envelope, a wicker basket, a propane burner and flight instruments. Heated air inside the envelope creates a lighter, less dense air mass, allowing the balloons to take flight. The technology is not much different than that developed by France’s Montgolfier brothers more than 200 years ago. Wind dictates the direction and speed of flight of hot air balloons and pilots can alter the direction by changing altitudes and finding favorable winds.

Balloon companies operate throughout New Jersey with a variety of available flight options.