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Map & Parking The Festival Grounds at OWA Parks & Resort 100 N OWA Blvd, Foley, AL 36535 View PDF Festival Map OFF SITE SHUTTLES An off-site shuttle location will be available at Liberty Church [110 Riviera Blvd, Foley, AL 36535] for Friday and Saturday. Park off-site and ride the shuttle for FREE to beat the traffic! Shuttles will run from 4 PM – 11 PM on Friday and 2 PM - 11 PM on Saturday. The shuttle drop off location at the festival is close to the Tethered Balloon Field (marked on the map). VIP PARKING We recommend our VIP parking pass, which allows you to park closest to the festival grounds. Your $30 pass is good for the entire weekend. Purchase tickets online while they last and be sure to bring your printed proof of purchase for display onsite. Once you’ve made your online purchase, you will be sent an email with instructions on the entrance location and parking area. VIP Parking Passes GENERAL PARKING Paved onsite parking and overflow parking in fields are FREE for all attendees. See the map above for areas labeled Guest Parking (purple). HANDICAP (ADA) PARKING You MUST have a valid handicap parking sign. Handicap parking will follow the main festival traffic and will be directed to a paved parking area by OWA Theater. (*Dark Purple on festival map) The free ADA parking is paved with sidewalk access to the festival grounds. DIRECTIONS TO THE FESTIVAL GROUNDS LOCATION: 100 N OWA Blvd, Foley, AL 36535 Driving directions from I-65 South Take Exit 34 – Hwy. 59 South to North Foley. Continue southbound on the Foley Beach Express. OWA is located at the northwest corner of the Foley Beach Express and County Rd. 20. Driving directions from I-10 South Take Exit 49 – Baldwin Beach Express Southbound. OWA is located at the northwest corner of the Foley Beach Express and County Rd. 20.

The Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival has officially launched its online merchandise store, giving festival fans another chance to grab their favorite keepsakes from the 2026 event and past festival years while supplies last. Festival merchandise now available online includes a variety of collectible items such as festival t-shirts, lapel pins, teddy bears, and other souvenirs celebrating one of the Gulf Coast’s favorite annual traditions. Limited inventory from previous festival years is also available, making this a great opportunity for collectors and longtime festival supporters to complete their collections. The online merchandise shop is hosted through the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce’s online store platform and can be accessed through the festival website’s merchandise page. To help guests save on shipping, only one shipping fee will be charged when multiple items can fit within the same shipping container or box. Local customers also have the option to pick up their purchases in person at the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce office with no shipping charges. Festival officials encourage shoppers to carefully review their cart, item quantities, and shirt sizes before completing checkout. Questions before ordering can be directed to Rachel Spear, Events Director, at 251-943-5550 or by email at Rachel@SouthBaldwinChamber.com. The Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival thanks the community for its continued support and looks forward to welcoming everyone back for the 2027 festival, scheduled for April 29 – May 1, 2027, in Foley, Alabama.

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.

12:30 Announcement From OWA Parks & Resort Still happening TONIGHT: Live entertainment is still happening indoors tonight! A FREE show with the M-80s from 7:00–9:00 pm inside OWA Theater. Also, opening the show at 6:00 pm is Renee Amelia, don't miss it! Stay dry and rock on with us at the OWA Theater! 11:30 AM Festival Announcement Following the 10:00 AM meeting with festival committee members, balloon pilots, and local officials, the difficult decision has been made to cancel all Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival activities for Friday, May 1, 2026. This decision was made in the interest of safety for our guests, vendors, volunteers, balloon pilots and crews, and festival property, based on the latest forecast from direct communication with the National Weather Service, which includes scattered rainstorms and the potential for wind gusts. These types of conditions are difficult to predict and track in real time, making it unsafe to proceed with today’s activities. Additionally, Saturday morning balloon flights are also canceled, and our pilots share in the disappointment. Many travel from across the country to be here and to provide the beautiful balloon experiences our community looks forward to each year. We understand this is disappointing and share in that sentiment, but safety must always remain our top priority. We extend our sincere thanks to our presenting sponsor, Columbia Southern University, the City of Foley, along with our dedicated volunteers, vendors, partners, and event team for their continued support, flexibility, and commitment to this event. Looking ahead, Saturday’s festival schedule will have a delayed opening, moving from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (noon). We are encouraged by the current forecast, which is expected to bring cooler temperatures and improved conditions, and we are excited for the opportunity to continue the festival! Guests are encouraged to check the updated event schedule and follow our official Facebook page and press releases for the latest information regarding Saturday’s timing and activities. Some good news: OWA Parks & Resort is currently working to provide live entertainment indoors for tonight! We encourage guests to follow OWA’s Facebook page for updates on those activities. 7:00 AM Announcement Festival officials and pilots met this morning at 5:30 AM to assess weather conditions. Based on that meeting, hot air balloons will not be flying this morning due to unfavorable conditions. We know this is disappointing for many, and it is for us as well—but unfortunately, weather is something we cannot control. A small number of balloons may be inflated briefly this morning on the grounds at OWA Parks & Resort for sponsor photo opportunities. This will not be a full balloon display, but if you are already in the area, you may catch a brief glimpse during these limited moments. Festival officials will meet again at 10:00 AM to evaluate conditions and determine plans for today’s festival opening. We will update this news release following that meeting, along with any additional announcements for the day. As always, conditions can change quickly. For the most timely updates, please follow our official website & Facebook page, where information is shared as soon as decisions are made.