Father's Day Weekend!

The 2024 Chester County Balloon Festival will be held at Willowdale in Southern Chester County on Father's Day weekend. Be sure to add June 14th, 15th and 16th 2024 to your calendar. Come back often for more info!

 

Thank you Christina Care for coming onboard with The Chester County Balloon Festival as a sponsor. Follow us on Facebook for more information.

Welcome and Greetings, taking applications for Professional Pilots and Crew for the Chester County Balloon Festival. We have been very busy making sure our event is up to date with all the new changes that has taken place. 

Your application will be looked over. If the safety criteria is met,the application will be passed onto Balloon Manger and Event Director for the final say. This is a way to make sure that all of our pilots are meeting standards for safe flight and to let you our pilots know the pilot flying beside you are of the same quality as your self. While maintaining a professional and safe standard for our sponsors, townships officials and most of all our community and spectators. 

We will be also adding a 75 hour PIC clause. In short you will need a minimum of 75 hours of PILOT IN COMMAND PRIOR TO 45 DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT. As per BFA recommendation. Less then 75 Hours are still encouraged to apply. You will get the same benefits  as a 75 hour pilot ( hotel rooms, Fuel, ect.) you can Glow and ground operations. You will be requested to do and inflation or a meet and greet, candle sticking all other non flying activities and attend all pilots briefings. 

Pilots Please Please, Please, understand that Volunteer crew are as rare as Hens Teeth at all festivals, we will be training crew again this year. They will be available first come first serve . Please we have arranged to have a second hotel room for you at a reduce cost for your crew. So try to have your experience crew attend the festival. 

Also new this year will be the possibility of 1 VIP or Sponsor ride only. Thank you, hope to see you in June!

  • ALL PAPERWORK MUST BE IN BEFORE MAY 1st
  • Our process is as follows
    1. Apply with this short form below
    2. We may give you a call or email you with questions, so watch for those emails from ccballoonfest.com
    3. Once approved by our Balloonmeister, you will be emailed a login for this site. 
    4. Login at Login Page with the email supplied in this form and the provided password. 
    5. Once logged in, go to the Pilot Dashboard page (link found in the top menu under Pilots)
    6. Fill in your list of Pilots, Balloons, Insurance and Crew in that order. If you are bringing multiple balloons and/or Pilots feel free to use a single login as long as they are under the same Insurance Policy.
    7. Next year, you'll be able to view the data you entered into the system and only have to update a couple of fields, not fill out tons of info all over again. We are doing our best to make this process as easy as possible year over year. We want you back!
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Festival Hours

Friday June 14th gates open @ 4pm and close after the Glow Saturday June 15th gates open @ 2 close after the glow. Sunday gates open at 2pm close when last balloon flys out.

2024 Chester County Balloon Festival Location

Festival Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What day is my ticket good for?
    If you buy a admissions ticket it’s good for 1 of any of the 3 days.
  2. What is the street address of the festival?
    101 E Street Rd, Kennett Square, PA 19348
    Apple Maps or Google Maps
  3. Can I bring my dog?
    It is because we love dogs so much, we ask you kindly to leave them at home and do not bring them to the festival. The festival is not a safe environment for them.
  4. Can I buy tickets at the festival?
    Yes, we sell tickets on the field if you don't want to purchase ahead of time. We accept cash and credit cards.
  5. Is there handicap parking?
    Yes, you will enter from RT 82. Please be aware its first come first served and very limited. We will do our best to have someone transport you to the vendor area with a golf cart.
  6. When do the balloons fly?
    This is a great question. Balloons do not hoover, they fly. The best time to see the balloons in the air is between 6am – 8am and 5:00pm – 7:00pm. Sometimes pilots will wait for fog to lift or wait till winds calm down. The festival goes on all day and there will be SO much to do including tethered balloon rides, so there is no bad time to go. A few days before the event we will be posting the event schedule on our website. This will help you decide what times you want to make sure you are there to see exactly what you want to see.
  7. Can I fly in a hot air balloon at the festival?
    Absolutely! You can purchase tickets to fly untethered on our website: ccballoonfest.com/tickets You can also fly in a tethered balloon by purchasing tickets at the festival ($25.00 for adults).
  8. What is the benefit of buying admission tickets ahead of time?
    The prices of adult tickets increase the closer we are to the festival.
  9. Are there refunds for admissions tickets?
    No there are not.
  10. What if I purchase a flight and cannot go?
    Untethered flights are not refunded, they are rescheduled.
  11. How do I become a vendor? Sponsor? Volunteer?
    You can find all that information on our website.
    Vendor Application
    Sponsor the festival
    Volunteer Application
  12. What’s the parking situation?
    Parking is free.
  13. Can we bring our own food?
    For security reasons, no outside food or drink is permitted. No coolers.
  14. Can we bring chairs and umbrellas?
    No umbrellas allowed except handheld ones. We encourage beach chairs and blankets.
  15. What does balloons fly weather permitting mean?
    Flights are deemed safe by the FAA and the pilots themselves. We promise to always put the safety of everyone first.
  16. If the balloons don’t fly is the event canceled?
    This is a rain or shine event. In the off chance that the balloons can’t go up there will be lots and lots to do and see.
  17. Other Tips
    1. Our busy time for traffic is 4:00pm Saturday so please make sure you leave yourself time
    2. Wear comfortable shoes, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
    3. Lost parents are to go to the information booth or one of our staff to guide you.
    4. We do have protocols for lost parents.
    5. ID will be required for the purchase of beer and wine in our beer and wine garden.
    6. No drones or UAV allowed.
    7. Cameras and are encouraged. Tag us in your photos! We love them!
    8. There are no ATMs at the festival. Feel free to stop by the Landhope Farms at the corner of RT 926 and RT 82, they have an ATM.