Festival Continues Saturday with Delayed Opening and Optimistic Outlook
- Lori
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
6:40 PM Saturday 5/2/26
Great news—our pilots are preparing to set up for a possible balloon glow! 🙌 They’re closely monitoring the wind and truly want to give everyone that beautiful glow experience tonight.
🔥 As always, safety comes first, so if winds pick up, we may shift to a “candlestick” display—still a fun and glowing moment for the crowd to enjoy! 🔥🎈
🚧 For everyone’s safety, please remain behind the barricades until the announcer invites guests onto the field. If you see people on the balloon field - these are the crews and our photographers.
Thank you for your patience and positive vibes—let’s hope for a beautiful evening on the field! 💛
6 PM Saturday 5/2/26
Due to current wind conditions, tethered rides and the interactive balloon display will not take place this evening.
Our pilots are meeting now (6:00 PM) with the Balloon Meister and festival officials to evaluate conditions for a possible balloon glow. This meeting typically takes about 30–45 minutes, and we’ll share an update as soon as it concludes.
🎶🍴🛍️ We appreciate your patience and hope you’re enjoying the festival—there’s still plenty of great food, vendors, and live entertainment happening throughout OWA!
11: 15 AM Saturday 5/2/26 🎈 Happy Saturday from the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival!
After all the rain Friday night and into this morning, our amazing crews have been working hard to get the grounds ready—and we’re excited to welcome everyone at 12 PM today at OWA Parks & Resort! 🙌
We know many of you are asking about the Balloon Glow tonight. Here’s the honest answer—we can’t guarantee it just yet. Our pilots, Balloon Meister, festival committee, and local officials will meet around 6 PM to evaluate conditions and make the safest call. We wish we had a crystal ball to give you a definite yes or no, but we always leave that window open and do everything we can to put on the show for our community. 🎈
👉 We truly wish we could reply to each comment individually, but the best way we can keep everyone informed at the same time is through our official posts—please take a moment to read our latest update/press release for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
In the meantime, there is so much to enjoy today!
🎶 Live music on the Island Stage
🛍️ Wonderful local vendors
🍴 Delicious food
🐾 Family-friendly fun throughout OWA
Please take time to support our vendors, thank a volunteer when you see one, and enjoy all the hard work that goes into making this FREE event special.
We are so grateful for your positive vibes, patience, and support—it truly means the world to us. Let’s make it a great Saturday at the 22nd Annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival! 💛🎈
The Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival presented by Columbia Southern University continues Saturday at OWA Parks & Resort, with a delayed opening at 12:00 p.m. (noon) as festival officials monitor weather conditions.
Saturday morning balloon flights have been canceled due to wind and weather forecasts.
At this time, we’re unable to guarantee hot air balloon activities on Saturday due to inclement weather predictions. This includes a festival favorite, the balloon glow. A final decision will be made on Saturday as conditions are assessed in real time. Our pilots will be on site and ready in case there is a large enough break in the weather to safely proceed, but it doesn’t look promising. If possible, we will have a balloon glow, but if the weather is unfavorable on Saturday at dusk, we will not, simply put.
Following Friday’s weather-related cancellation, Saturday's forecast is showing cooler temperatures and the potential for improving conditions for all other festival activities, and we are excited to invite festivalgoers to the grounds for a day of family fun!
While hot air balloons are the highlight of the festival, there is still plenty to enjoy! Guests can experience live music on the island stage, over 80 vendors, food trucks, family-friendly activities, and the Disc-Connected K9 Frisbee Dog Show, along with everything OWA Parks & Resort has to offer. And don’t forget our newly added Drone Show! See the Day's schedule here.
Our festival committee emphasizes that safety remains the top priority, and decisions are made in collaboration with festival officials, the Balloon Meister, and safety partners to ensure the best possible experience when conditions allow. For the latest updates, guests are encouraged to visit our festival website and follow along on Facebook. We share information as soon as decisions are made so everyone receives timely and accurate updates.
The Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival remains a FREE community event, made possible by the support of sponsors, volunteers, vendors, and local partners.
We look forward to welcoming everyone out to enjoy the day and make the most of the festival experience at OWA!
A Short Note
If you’re new to our hot air balloon event, here’s a helpful tip—balloons typically fly only at sunrise or near sunset, when winds are calm and predictable. Midday conditions—like heat, thermals, and shifting air—often make it unsafe to fly. We’re often asked why balloons aren’t flying during the day at the festival, and the answer is simple: it’s not safe.
At the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival, morning flights are reserved for sponsors. In the evening, guests can enjoy the popular balloon glow, where pilots inflate their balloons on the festival grounds for a beautiful, up-close experience (weather and wind permitting). When conditions allow and the balloons are secured, guests are often invited onto the balloon field to get an up-close look—something many find to be a highlight of the festival. While full flights don’t typically take place in the evening, a few pilots may offer tethered balloon rides. You can learn more about that here. Interested in becoming a sponsor? We’d love to have you—please reach out to Rachel Spear, Events Director.
And if a full hot air balloon ride is on your bucket list, several of our experienced commercial pilots across the Southeast offer private flights. Visit our Balloons & Pilots page and scroll to the bottom for their contact information.