Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic Brought A Magical Sky Experience

If you haven’t gone to all five days, are you taking full advantage of this Boise Festival?

The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic is a magical time in Ada county, it's a time to reflect on our summer memories and look forward to our holiday season up ahead. If this was your first time experience, I can assure you that you will be drawn to it again the following year if not for at least one of the days.

The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic typically starts midweek and will end on the following Sunday. Each day is different and has its own theme. There’re days of planning, preparation, and many sponsors that make this happen every year and we can see why from day one.

The one thing all these days have in common is that each morning brings its own magic. The first day is the best because we get to see the balloons that we’ve been hearing about. This is Kids Day, and they really bring all the energy for it being early morning. This morning can start a little slower but we can quickly feel the excitement rise as the pilots begin to set up their balloons for the tethered rides. Here the balloons get attached to their baskets and get fully inflated. While the balloons are anchored to the ground, they’re limited to rise into the air depending on the amount of slack the team gives their balloons.

On the two rainy days we had we still got a show and a wonderful experience to witness as a “candle stick” burn was presented, which is when pilots set up and ignited only the propane burners from their baskets on the ground without inflating the balloon fabric. This gave the crowd an extra day to get up and personal with the pilots. Pilots gave small introductions about their balloons and their background in ballooning. If you had a chance to talk to them you’ll quickly pick up on how much experience most of these pilots have, majority having at least two decades worth of experience flying all around the world and the various licenses they have.

If you made it to day three, you should have noticed that the same energy the kids brought from the first day is still flooding the park of Ann Morrison. 2026 marked a special year for the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic, the 35th Anniversary and a special tribute flight for Scott Spencer, a well known local here in Boise and co-founder of this magical festival.

Every morning gets more and more exciting as we all anticipate a balloon take-off. Before every take-off there is a meeting held in one of the giant white tents where all the pilots meet and talk about the weather and potential risks. After two wet mornings, pilots were itching to get their balloons off the ground and nothing made this morning more special than having Scott’s tribute lead these pilots into the air and kick start our labor day weekend.

Just how the people have gathered every early morning, the Friday evening nite-glow gets the most attention as people can now enjoy the balloons without the worries of work. Food and drink vendors parked all across the park, live music playing, bounce houses bouncing, and selfies clicking everywhere. As the announcer gives us a countdown into the nite-glow we are all gathered around the balloons, fenced off at a safe distance. At awe on how big all the balloons get as we see them get filled with air and propane.

Darkness quickly surrounds us but thankfully the balloon thrusters light up the park like a giant night light, then followed by another and another. Every flame brings the park life in a colorful red glow that can be seen all throughout Ann Morrison. Music then gets played and brings emotion to every burst of flame the pilots light off. It really doesn’t get any better than enjoying the evening with loved ones supporting a community event, and enjoying all the wonderful foods local vendors bring us.

The morning is nothing less than special! The magic about the morning is seeing the sun peek across Boise’s east hills and bring life to all the balloons colors. Most of the time there is a little fog from the cold fall air sneaking in and the warmth of the sun creating a majestic mist to the air. Seeing this first sight is breathtaking as we also experience the loud and warm thrusters go off slowly bringing the Boise spirit to life.

This balloon spirit is long lived throughout the week and the weekend crowds thrive early the next day after the nite-glow event. For the last two mornings the crowds now get bigger and the coffee lines get longer. This event truly is special to the entire Treasure Valley, we can see families get together and enjoy a scenic morning in the park. To the vendors and sponsors getting up early and staying up late for the event, day after day. Each year people from around the world gather here in Boise to experience this event. If you’re anywhere near Ann Morrison during these days you will see yourself smiling ear to ear and looking up in wonder as the balloons fill up the Boise skyline.