Annual Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival

POUGHQUAG – The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival on July 8-10, 2016 with about 125 launches between Friday and Sunday. The festival will be held at Barton Orchards at 63 Apple Tree Lane in Poughquag throughout the weekend, and two balloons will also be at Migliorelli Farm at 245 Guski Road in Red Hook on Friday and Saturday evenings.

With expanded festival hours, there will be activities happening all weekend. New this year, thanks to Barton Orchards, there will be lots of family activities such as a petting zoo, crafts, hay mazes, hayrides, food trucks and vendors, a tap room, bakery and farmer’s market, fire pits, ball toss, live music entertainment by great bands on two stages, and fireworks (Friday night). There will be helicopter rides and hot-air balloon rides available for a fee in advance. Tether rides will also be for sale the day of the event (cash only, please). The expanded moon glow, scheduled for Saturday night, will include 10 balloons lighting up the night sky.

For the first time this year, a mass balloon launch will be held on Sunday evening. Balloon launches will be at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and 6 p.m. Friday-Sunday. All launches are completely weather dependent. Updates will be posted on the Chamber’s website at dcrcoc.org as well as its Facebook and Twitter pages. Allow extra time for traffic to ensure seeing the balloons inflate and launch and then share your photos using hashtag #dcrcocBalloon! Visit balloonfesthv.com for complete event information, tickets, FAQs, directions, sponsors and more.

Admission to the morning mass launches on Saturday and Sunday is free and the gates will open at 5 a.m. Admission to the festival stars at noon For more information on this event or how to purchase an advanced single day ticket or an all-access weekend pass (until July 1), visit dcrcoc.org. Both on- and off-site parking are free and off-site parking includes shuttle service when necessary.

Two balloons will be at Migliorelli Farm on Friday and Saturday afternoon. One balloon will launch at 6 p.m. There will be activities and concessions as well as tether rides for sale (cash only, please). Admission and parking at Migliorelli Farm are free.