Plano Balloon Festival 2017

Alicia's fly over events not to miss so be in the area if you only have a few minutes (or like me don't like parking and crowds). 8am balloon fly ins, 5:30 Parachute jumpers, 8pm Balloon burn light up and Saturday 9pm Firework Show! Kicking myself for not planning open houses in the neighborhood behind Oak Point for a watching party! The different shaped balloons are really something to see up close though! See the full itenary and links below.

 This will mark the 38th year of the 3 day event that begins at 4:00 pm on Friday, September 22nd at Oak Point Park, 2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX 75074. This is a total family-friendly event including the marathon and fun-run races.  

Balloon Festival Facts:

When: Doors open 4:00 pm on Friday, September 22nd at Oak Point Park

Where: 2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX 75074

Parking: Most parking will cost about $10 and check here for good places to park.  (Collin College, Oak Point, First United Methodist Church are some of the choices. Another option for $5 is to park at Plano Center but you will have a farther walk!)

Tickets: Beginning September 1st, you can pre-purchase your tickets or buy them at the door. All Plano ISD elementary students will get a complimentary ticket to get in free to the festival on Friday evening so check those backpacks! Ticket prices are $5 per person/$1 off for Seniors 65 and older, kids under 36 inches are free.

Events/Attractions: If you have never been to the Plano Balloon Festival, you are in for a real treat! This is one of Plano’s biggest event’s and it is so much fun!

The biggest attractions are the balloons of course. There will be 40 beautiful, colorful balloons lighting up and taking off into the sky 2x a day along with a fun ‘glow’ that happens each night. (This is fun for the kids!) The 12 featured Special Shapes that are participating this year include Joelly the Baby Bee, Betty Jean the Butterfly, Tomcat, Terry Mouse, Bimbo Bear, High Kitty, Peg Leg Pete the Pirate Parrot, Humpty Dumpty, Love Birds, Annie the Lady Bug, SpyderPig, and the always popular High Jack. A Parachute Team will perform Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons at 5:30 pm by jumping from their plane over the park and landing right in the middle of the launch field Local Bands will perform Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night FIREWORKS will go off on Saturday night!!! To top it all off Friday and Saturday evenings there will be a Balloon GLOW after dark that is a must see!

Still looking for something for the kids to do there? Don’t worry? They have an entire area designated just for Kids, called Central Market Kids Zone Fun! This will include bounce houses, rides, and fun. Tickets and wristbands are available in the kids’ zone area for purchase. These rides and games are an additional cost to the festival.

Know Before You Go:

• This event is very fun but it’s outside and is weather permitting. It can be very hot still in September so dress accordingly and plan to be hot! If it does rain the balloon events do get canceled.
• It will be crowded. Be prepared for crowds, bring your patience.
• You are not encouraged to bring pets!
• Coolers are allowed but they do have tons of food trucks and food vendors set up so plan to eat some yummy food out there!
• Bring chairs and blankets for picnic style and enjoy the evening.
• Wear comfortable shoes because you might have to park and walk far.
• Plan to have some family fun and enjoy this amazing event!!

We’ll see you at the Plano Balloon Festival!         

ITENARY