Flint Hills Balloon Festival

11/11/2025

Thank you for these amazing organizations that fueled our event, and made the 2025 Flint Hills Balloon Festival possible!

Thank you to:

-BHS Construction, Inc.
-Olsson
-Howie's Recycling & Trash Service
-Switch Wicked
-Cat Cans Portable Services of Manhattan, LLC.
-BBN Architects
-Mike’s Wrecker
-Twelve21
-Q Country 1035
-Manhattan City Lifestyle

11/10/2025

Thank you SO MUCH for your advice, support, love & ex*****on, Kansas City AeroSports!

11/10/2025

11/09/2025

From the Bottom of Our Hearts - THANK YOU, MANHATTAN!

On behalf of the entire staff and organizing team of the Flint Hills Balloon Festival, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who made this unforgettable weekend possible.

To our pilots and crews who filled the skies with color, our vendors and sponsors who helped bring the magic to life, our volunteers and city partners who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, and most of all - to every single one of you who came out to celebrate with us - thank you!

•We also want to acknowledge the traffic challenges many of you experienced Friday night. We hear you, and we completely understand those who were frustrated. The volume of traffic showed just how much excitement this event brings to our community, and we’ll be going back to the drawing board to explore ways to make it an even better experience!

•While the weather didn’t cooperate for day two, we share in your disappointment and are still sad we had to cancel last night. But, the joy, wonder, and memories from the events we were able to host will stick with us, and give us the fuel and inspiration to make this even bigger and better!

-What an incredible turnout and testament to how loved this festival has become, and the potential Manhattan has shown to hosting a world-class Hot Air Balloon Festival!

Your patience, excitement, and community spirit made this festival something truly special.

From all of us - thank you for being part of it!

🎈

11/08/2025

*The drive-thru glow in Anneberg Park tonight is CANCELLED due to high winds.*

Please see the post below.

11/08/2025

To our wonderful attendees, volunteers and community —

Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that we must announce that the drive-thru Glow event originally scheduled for this evening has been cancelled due to high winds and unsafe balloon inflation conditions.

Our team, in coordination with our balloon pilots and safety personnel, monitored the forecast and wind conditions in the lead-up to the event. After careful consideration, we determined that continuing with the glow under the current wind speeds would pose an unacceptable risk for both our guests and our pilots. Specifically, the wind speeds were outside the established safety margins for secure balloon inflation and operation.

We know how much you were looking forward to the glow, so were we. We are deeply disappointed to make this call, but safety must always be our top priority. We are grateful for your understanding, patience, and support in making this event safe and memorable for everyone involved.

Thank you for your enthusiasm and for being part of this community. We look forward to seeing you next year for the 3rd Annual Flint Hills Balloon Festival!

Warm regards,

The organizers and staff of the Flint Hills Balloon Festival

11/08/2025

THANK YOU Companion Projects Media, LLC for this awesome video from this morning!!

11/08/2025

•The latest weather forecast models are still showing the strong cold front continuing to come in this afternoon. This will certainly affect our still-scheduled drive-thru glow this evening. We will continue to evaluate and provide an update as soon as we can. In all reality tho, it’s not really looking that favorable to have a glow.

•Again, thank you for your continued patience with both the weather and also the shear volume of interest in this event. We are trying our best to be as efficient and transparent as possible, while serving everyone as well as we can. We will let you know as we soon as our balloon officials make a determination for this evening. It might be a literal gametime decision.

Thank you, Flint Hills Balloon Festival organizers & staff!

11/08/2025

•Looking at the weather this morning, with the strong cold front moving into the area that will bring sub-freezing temperatures for the rest of the weekend, as of right now, it is looking unlikely that we will be able to launch balloons this morning. The safety of pilots and crew is our #1 priority. Of course, this is Kansas and the weather can change swiftly, most especially when the gales of November come early, but gusty winds may prevent balloons from flying.

-Our balloons professionals are currently evaluating the situation, and we will update what we know when we know.
Our desire is to host the second day of the Flint Hills Balloon Festival, and trust us, "We won't wanna, but we may hafta" Stay tuned to our page and also our online Google Doc Form that has real-time updates at https://tinyurl.com/mtbcp7hv

Thank you - the organizers and staff of the Flint Hills Balloon Festival