Monroe Life Balloon Festival

Monroe Life Balloon Festival The Monroe Life Balloon Festival will be held Labor Day Weekend at Monroe County Airport in Madisonville, TN. Nightly balloon light shows!

Family Fun for all ages during the day! Monroe_life_balloon_festival monroe.life.ballo0 The 12th Annual Monroe Life Balloon Festival will be at a larger venue this year, The Monroe County Airport in Madisonville, Tennessee. Enjoy tethered balloon rides, live music, food, games and much more all while supporting children and youth. The two-day Balloon Festival begins on Saturday, August 30th from 4pm – 10pm, and runs through Sunday, August 31st, from 4pm – 10pm. The finale each night will be a balloon light show set to music with colorful hot air balloons beginning at dusk. ” We are delighted to be bringing back a fall family favorite to East Tennessee,” says Lisa Bingham, publisher of Monroe Life Magazine and founder of Monroe Life Balloon Festival, “We invite everyone to come out and join in the celebration.”

The balloons are inflating now!
09/07/2026

The balloons are inflating now!

09/07/2026

Thanks Wes! Seeing this historic plane up close and watching it take off was incredible!

Special guest Wes Stowers is here with his North American AT-6D "Texan". This WW2 era plane will fly out from the airpor...
09/06/2026

Special guest Wes Stowers is here with his North American AT-6D "Texan". This WW2 era plane will fly out from the airport runway!

The weather is perfect so don't miss your chance to see the 13th Annual Monroe Life Balloon Festival. Get your tickets o...
09/06/2026

The weather is perfect so don't miss your chance to see the 13th Annual Monroe Life Balloon Festival. Get your tickets online or at the gate.

All balloons are inflated! Tethered rides are happening right now!
09/06/2026

All balloons are inflated! Tethered rides are happening right now!

09/05/2026
As a special thanks for being one of our biggest sponsors, JTEKT employees got to take to the skies this morning. What a...
09/05/2026

As a special thanks for being one of our biggest sponsors, JTEKT employees got to take to the skies this morning. What a great way to kick off our balloon festival weekend!

This weekend!! East Tennessee's largest hot air balloon festival.
09/05/2026

This weekend!! East Tennessee's largest hot air balloon festival.

The Monroe Life Balloon Festival is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Monroe County on Labor Day weekend.

Join us this year for a special guest, Wes Stowers, as he flies his North American AT-6D "Texan"The “Texan” served as th...
08/30/2026

Join us this year for a special guest, Wes Stowers, as he flies his North American AT-6D "Texan"

The “Texan” served as the advanced trainer for Army Air Force and Navy fighter pilots during World War II as well as in numerous other roles, including combat operations as a forward air control aircraft in the Korean War

Specifications:
Top Speed - 225 MPH
Service Ceiling - 25,000 feet
Engine - 600 HP Pratt & Whitney R-1340 supercharged 9-cylinder air-cooled radial
Original armament - 3 x Browning .30 caliber machine guns
(two forward-firing, one tail gun in a flexible mount), hardpoints for 2x 250 lb. bombs or rockets
Fully Aerobatic

History of this particular aircraft:
- Built in 1943
- Served as a Navy gunnery trainer at Kingsville NAS, Texas from 1943-1945
- Served as a Navy flight trainer at Pensacola NAS, Florida from 1945-1949
- Upgraded by the U.S. Air Force to AT-6D specifications in 1955 and given to Spain
- Served as a ground attack fighter and trainer in the Spanish Air Force from 1955-1980
- Repatriated to the United States in 1981 and restored to its present configuration as a U.S. Air Force trainer of the late 1940s/early 1950s

Get your tickets today and see this plane up close and watch it fly in and fly out from the Monroe County Airport!

The Monroe Life Balloon Festival is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Monroe County on Labor Day weekend.

Address

Knoxville, TN

Telephone

+18655235999

Website

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