Hot air balloons fill the skies above Medicine Hat in this 2022 NEWS file photo from the Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
This morning, weather permitting, approximately 30 hot air balloon pilots will fire up their burners from four separate locations and lift off above the city as the 2025 Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival takes flight until Sunday.
In total the festival is set to feature seven scheduled flights above the Hat that are set to take off in both the early morning and early evening hours.
Although Environment Canada is forecasting a chance of rain tonight and tomorrow morning, festival organizers are hopeful weather conditions will be favourable for several safe flights.
“We take it one flight at a time,” explains Willy Taillon, festival co-organizer and balloon pilot. ” We plan for seven flights, if we get 50 per cent of the flights, that’s a win in our books. It’s just the nature of ballooning, all we can do is, do our best on the planning side of things and then hope Mother Nature allows us to go flying.”
Generally balloons are best flown in calm, clear weather with light winds, and pilots in Canada are trained and qualified to evaluate the current weather conditions and decide whether it’s safe to fly the balloon.
“Our goal is to get the balloons in the air, and if we can do it safely, then it’s going to be awesome,” said Tallion.
In order for a pilot to participate in a hot-air balloon festival in the country they must have at least a minimum of 50 hours as a pilot in command of a balloon. Tallion says most pilots at the festival have several years of flight experience under their belts.
Additionally this year, the festival is hosting two Balloon Glow evenings that allow the community to walk around fully inflated balloons tethered to the ground and speak with the pilots.
Balloon Glows will occur around dusk Friday and Saturday evening at Kin Coulee Park.
“I think people can underestimate how big they are up close,” says Taillon. “So they get to see these balloons being inflated … that connection fits in with our values for the festival.”
“Our values are community, connection and hope, and the whole purpose behind Rise Up is bringing our community together and adding these layers and fun activities throughout the weekend.”
That includes several free family activities taking place downtown during the festival’s Community Day on Saturday, including the Hues for Humanity Colour Run, Rise Up Market, Art Party, as well as food trucks and free movies at the Monarch.
The festival has also teamed up with the Mavericks to allow the Sunshine Trolley to run continuous loops around all the events happening Saturday, at no charge, to make it easier for residents to park vehicles at Athletic Park while attending activities.
New this year, the festival will also be live-streaming each pilot’s safety meeting before each scheduled flight that will provide residents an inside look, as the festival’s Balloon Meister and pilots review in-depth aviation weather and assess current flight conditions to determine if a flight is good for launch.
“That goes to all the hard work from our planning team,” says Tallion. “The pilots really enjoy flying in our beautiful landscape.”
All morning flight times are scheduled for 6 a.m. today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Evening flights are scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday.
Typically winds come from the south-southwest in Medicine Hat, so balloons will likely travel north toward Crescent Heights for easy viewing, however eastern winds could direct balloons toward the west side of the city.
Location and flight information will be released on the Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival Facebook page prior to each flight.
