Hot Air Balloons Take Over Alberta This Weekend
Medicine Hat's Rise Up Festival brings 35 balloons, neon glow nights, and free family fun May 21–24.
If you're within driving distance of Medicine Hat this weekend, clear your calendar. The annual Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival returns with up to 35 balloons launching into Alberta skies—and it's entirely free.
Running May 21 through 24, the festival kicks off with dawn and dusk flights every morning and evening (Sunday mornings only). But the real magic happens Friday and Saturday nights when tethered balloons glow in the dark under neon lighting, transforming the festival grounds into something out of a fever dream.
Friday's Balloon Glow Neon Theme starts at dusk around 8 p.m., when you can walk right up to the illuminated balloons, meet the pilots, and get close enough to touch the envelope fabric. Food trucks and live entertainment keep the vibe alive. Saturday explodes into a full carnival: two flights, a Hues for Humanity Colour Run, pancake breakfast, artisan market, and two free movie screenings (noon and 3 p.m.). The Glow returns Saturday too, so if you miss Friday, you've got one last shot.
This is genuinely one of Alberta's most photogenic events—the kind of thing that fills social feeds for weeks. Balloons rising at sunrise, silhouetted against clear prairie sky. The neon glow at night, surreal and stunning. If you're even slightly fascinated by aviation, spectacle, or just want to spend a weekend doing something beautiful with family and friends, it's worth the drive. The festival only happens once a year, and tickets are free. Locations for flight takeoffs will be announced on their social media as the weekend approaches.