The Vermont sky will be painted with color once again as the 45th Annual Quechee Balloon Festival returns this weekend, June 20-22, promising three days of soaring balloons, live music, and the kind of hometown magic that has drawn visitors for nearly five decades.
What started in 1979 has grown into Vermont’s most beloved balloon festival, but according to Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Havah Armstrong Walther, it remains firmly rooted in community spirit. “We send out about 1,000 free tickets to local elementary kids to make sure that families can still afford to come,” she explained. “It’s really important that locals feel like this is their festival that other people come to, not that it’s a festival for out-of-towners.”
Walther, who took over the role in 2023 after PJ Skehan’s tenure, has added a special touch for 2025: sunrise yoga classes on Saturday and Sunday mornings. “You can come and start your day with a yoga routine under the balloons,” she said. “I think that’s going to be really special.”
The addition reflects the festival’s evolution while maintaining its core appeal. “We consider this an arts and music festival that happens to also have balloons,” Walther noted. The weekend will feature everything from jazz standards to Caribbean music to line dancing, ensuring there’s something for every musical taste.
One of the weekend’s most anticipated events will be the Balloon Glow, happening at dusk on Friday and Saturday nights. The balloons remain tethered to the ground but inflate and light up in a spectacular display. And there’s an added element: the balloons will illuminate in coordination with music, creating what Walther called “balloon dancing” as they bend and sway in unison with the soundtrack.
Running a festival that welcomes 10,000 people is “a little bit like seeing those plate jugglers really have plates juggling on top of sticks running all around the room,” Walther laughed. She coordinates between the “Balloon Meister,” who manages the pilots, field managers overseeing vendors, and entertainers, all while ensuring everyone from food vendors to out-of-town visitors has a memorable experience.
Beyond the hot air balloon launches at 6 p.m. Friday, 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 6 a.m. Sunday, the festival will offer tethered balloon rides, e-bike tours, craft vendors, a kids’ zone with bouncy houses, and the “Pups in the Air” show. The Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the event, with proceeds supporting local operations and scholarships.
Weather permitting, balloon flights will occur throughout the weekend, though safety remains the top priority. As organizers note, “balloon flights may be delayed or cancelled due to wind, rain, or other weather conditions.”
For more on this, please see our June 19 edition of the Vermont Standard.
