Up, up & away: Hot air balloons dot the skies over Caddo-Bossier for big race, rally

By CNN Newsource

Published June 21, 2022 10:23 AM

By Web Staff

SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — Dozens of the best balloon pilots in the country are calling the ArkLaTex home for the next few days. In addition to the CenterPoint Energy Red River Balloon Rally June 24-25, 2022, the area is also hosting the US Team Nationals leading up to the festival.

The US Team Nationals is an annual week-long competition that brings together the top 36 balloon pilots from across the United States. These 12 teams of three will have one practice day (June 20th), and five days of competition from June 21th-25th, 2022. You can see them flying from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Be sure to check their Facebook page for the most updated information and locations.

Drawing more than 20,000 attendees, this annual hot air balloon smackdown is accompanied by live music from a list of regional and nationally acclaimed musicians, food and specialty vendors, children’s rides, tethered balloon rides, and a wonderful sight of scores of hot air balloons dotting the southern landscape. To top each of the two night’s events off, a spectacular balloon glow is accompanied by a fabulous fireworks display to celebrate the winner of the race and the wonderful class of aviation that is the hot air balloon.

If you’d like to identify your property as a friendly landing zone, organizers are asking people to lay out a white bed sheet in an open area so balloonists can spot them from the sky.

When looking for a place to land, balloon pilots do their best to be respectful by avoiding fields planted with crops and pastures inhabited by animals. Ideal landing spots include neighborhood streets with underground power lines, business parks with empty parking lots and cul-de-sacs and, of course, open fields on farms, near schools and in public parks.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - Regional

Jump to comments ↓