Winthrop Balloon Festival

03/20/2026

Check out the new website for the Winthrop Balloon Festival. It will include flight status each morning, details about the event, and instructions on how to book a ride. There is no owner of the event itself, as balloonists have simply chosen to come together and fly for the last 30+ years.

The Chamber supports the pilots with propane, clears the street for the balloon glow on Sat night, and provides bathrooms at the launch site for those watching the balloons. The balloon pilots are thankful for the Chamber's partnership in offsetting some of the costs of attending for balloonists and in hosting the few thousand people who show up in Winthrop each March to watch balloons fly.

The Winthrop Balloon Festival typically happens the first weekend of March each year. For 2027, the festival is March 5th-7th.

We created this site as an easy way for anyone attending to get official, up-to-date details about what is happening and when, since there hasn't been an easy way to get real-time updates in the past! Check out the new site, and looking forward to seeing you next March!
Https://winthropballoonfestival.com

The Official Guide to The Winthrop Balloon Festival 2027, also known as the Winthrop Balloon Roundup. Washington's only winter hot air balloon festival — schedules, balloon rides, lodging, and everything you need to plan your visit to Winthrop, WA.

10/21/2025

We are getting super excited about the Winthrop Balloon Festival this year. Housing is already booking up quickly in the Winthrop area, and flights are already booking out extremely fast for those that want to fly!

10/14/2025

The Winthrop Balloon Festival is coming up fast! This year the Winthrop Balloon Roundup Balloon Festival is March 6-8th 2026. Tickets are already 70% booked out. If you want to fly, I'd book it soon.

05/26/2025

Solid landing!

04/12/2025

Love this!

Kids love coming on adventures. Bring the whole family and join us on a hot air balloon tour in front of Mt. Rainier. Seattle Ballooning’s season is open for booking.

04/01/2025

Excited for these downtown Seattle flights over the Space Needle

03/06/2025

02/12/2025

We are getting excited to fly in the snow, but I learned something that truly pulled at my heartstrings today.

I just spoke to the principal of the elementary school in Winthrop. Right here in the Methow Valley School District, where our hot air balloon event takes place, there’s $5,000+ in delinquent school lunch debt—debt that follows kids all the way through graduation.

No child should have to worry about how they’ll pay for breakfast or lunch, especially when it’s completely out of their control.

Next year, the elementary school will likely lose their universal school lunch funding, meaning this debt will skyrocket even higher. That’s why we’re turning our Saturday night Balloon Glow into a fundraiser—to wipe out this debt and ensure no child in our community has to carry that burden.

We know that for many of you, these aren't your kids, or your community, but you can make a really big difference for them.

The Balloon Glow is free, but we hope you’ll join us in making a difference. If you’ve ever experienced a negative lunch balance as a kid, you know how it feels. Let’s erase that feeling for these kids and let their hearts glow as big as our balloons.

If you’d like to help, here’s the link to donate:
https://givebutter.com/methowvalley

Thank you for being part of this incredible community. We can’t wait to share this ballooning experience with you!

See you soon,

Pilot Eliav

Seattle Ballooning

Raising money for delinquent kids lunch funds in the Methow Valley School District

02/02/2025

We are fully booked. 2026 dates open! See you in Winthrop in less than 30 days!

01/17/2025

We are so excited!