Crown of Maine Balloon Fest

09/08/2026

09/03/2026

Let us tell you a bit about ERW Photography, our official event photographer. Eric is *exceptional* at taking majestic balloon photos but also at capturing the joy and excitement of the people on the ground. Our festival is so much more than "just" balloons. We are also volunteers, students and teachers, crew members, pilots, passengers, spectators, sponsors, musicians, and vendors. Each person is a critical piece of the puzzle that makes our event a success and we wouldn't have survived the 23 years without each piece helping us make the Crown of Maine Balloon Fest picture perfect.

From crew training to the welcome dinner to the school visits and everywhere else in between... Eric was there to capture every smile, hug, and dance move. We look forward to sharing the rest of the moments he has captured over the next few days (and yes, there will be balloons too!)

08/30/2026

Continued wind and weather has closed our field this evening.

08/30/2026

It's race time! The Great TFG Balloon Chase is about to get underway!

08/30/2026

High rates of windspeed aloft have made it unsafe to fly this morning. All other festival activities continue as scheduled at this time.

08/29/2026

We will be doing a full glow tonight with an anticipated start time of shortly after dusk (7:20pm). If you haven't already made your way to the fairgrounds... now is your chance to see the balloons in all their glory!

08/29/2026

Winds are still too high to be able to safely launch and at this time we do not anticipate ground wind to be calm enough for tethered rides BUT we are still preparing for a balloon glow and will have another update around 7:15pm.

08/29/2026

We recommend entering our festival through the State Street entrance. Our Main Gate and Judd St gate parking are at capacity.

08/29/2026

We are on a weather hold at this time for continued wind gusts. Pilots will meet again and have an update around 6:15pm.