Quechee is a small little village in the town of Hartford, Vermont with just about 300 residents. Each year, people from all over flock to this place for a chance to see up to 20 bright colored Hot Air Balloons sail across the sky and over the Quechee Gorge.
The annual Quechee Hot Air Balloon, Music and Craft Festival is the longest running hot air balloon festival in New England. While I’ve been to a bunch of hot air balloon festivals throughout New England, this one has been on my bucket list for quite some time. This year I finally made it happen and it certainly did not disappoint.
The Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival is typically held in June over Father’s Day weekend. This is a 3 day long event which packs in plenty of fun things to do for the entire family.
Besides being mesmerized by the incredible display of Hot Air Balloons ascending into the sky, there is a program of activities throughout the weekend. Stick around and you will see sky-diving demonstrations, disc-catching dogs, live music and dance performances.
Stroll around the grounds to check out over 50 vendor booths filled with great local crafts and products. There is also a beer and wine garden where you can have a cold one.
As you can see, this is a very popular event so be prepared for lots of traffic and long lines at the food stands.
Balloon Ascension
Weather conditions must be just right for the balloons to launch for the safety of the pilot and passengers.
The best time for a launch is early morning just after sunrise and 2-3 hours before sunset when the air is cooler. Clear skies with light winds are preferred and heavy rain, strong winds or fog will keep them grounded.
The launch site was in the center of town at the Village Green, located next to the Quechee Falls Park. This offered some great photo opportunities with reflections of these vibrant and colorful balloons in the water. In this photo, the pilot did a “splash and dash”, tapping the water before ascending.
There were 5 balloon ascensions scheduled over the course of the weekend. Luckily, we had a picture perfect weekend, for the most part, and 4 out of the 5 scheduled ascensions were able to get off. Sunday morning’s ascension was cancelled due to the low fog which did not clear in time.
The Anticipation
Watching the balloons get ready for takeoff is fascinating and part of the excitement of going to a balloon festival.
Getting a balloon up in the air is a lot of work and the pilot has a crew of people to help get it setup and launched.
The first step is to unpack the balloon, spread it out on the ground and attach the basket and all the lines.
A fan is used to start filling the balloon ‘envelope’ with air.
Once the balloon is half-filled with air, the pilot ignites the burner to fill the balloon with hot air. As we all know, hot air rises and that is what makes the balloon begin to lift off its side.
As the balloon starts to rise, crew members will pull back on the ‘crown’ line to control the rise of the balloon.
Up, Up and Away
Once a balloon launches, it’s hard to determine where it will go. Whatever direction the wind blows, is the direction the hot air balloon will take.
Pilots “steer” the balloon by ascending and descending to different altitudes to catch the desired wind speed and direction. Luckily they don’t fly blind and have lots of technical instruments which help them figure out where to go.
The Chase is On
After take off, the crew is on the move to follow the balloon so it can be safely recovered. Each balloon you see in the air will have one or more vehicles chasing it wherever it goes until it lands.
The Landing
Part of the adventure of riding in a hot air balloon is you never know where you are going to go. Pilots are really at the mercy of the wind and while they may have an idea on the direction, the actual landing site is unknown. When it is time to land, the pilot will look for a safe landing site and communicate to their crew.
I have had the opportunity to take to the skies in a hot air balloon twice and on one occasion we actually landed on the side of a highway to avoid some power cables. Just imagine driving along and seeing a huge hot air balloon hovering over the highway in your path. It was quite a site and we literally stopped traffic.
Landings can also be a bit bumpy. Sometime the basket can tip a bit but that is normal and the wicker basket is designed to absorb some of that impact. Your pilot will instruct you on what to expect and do at landing.
Take a ride
Up, Up and Away! Riding in a Hot Air Balloon is truly an amazing experience and an incredible way to see this beautiful region.
During the flight, you’ll float over covered bridges, farmlands, rolling hills and the Quechee Gorge. Along the way you will see stunning views of Vermont’s Green Mountains. Rides can be a bit pricey at about $250 or more but worth the splurge for this one of a kind experience.
Not up for that much adventure? Most festivals will have tethered rides for about $20 where you can ascend up to 70 feet for 5-10 minutes. I’ve done this a few times with my kids and its a great way to experience a ride and much safer with the balloon tethered to the ground.
Night Glow
The highlight of the festival was the Night Glow. This tradition started at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival around 2000. Held at dusk or when it gets dark, balloons are set up and the pilots blast the burner, coinciding with music, to release fire into the balloon making them glow like huge Chinese lanterns. It is truly a magical sight and a lot of fun to watch.
Planning your visit
If this enticed you to plan a visit to next year’s festival, be sure to book your accommodations early! Quechee and the surrounding towns of Woodstock and White River Junction, about 15 minutes away, get booked way in advance.
Want to have an experience? Stay at the historic Quechee Inn at Marshfield Farm which is located very close to the festival and offers 25 gorgeous guest rooms and a wonderful fine dining restaurant onsite.
Exploring Quechee and Beyond
With the festival being a weekend event, your admission (only $15) includes a wristband which allows you to leave and return as many times as you would like so you can explore the area.
The Bottom Line
Experiencing a Hot Air Balloon Festival should be on everyone’s bucket list. It is just unbelievable to see these colorful balloons come to life and sail across the sky. The Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival was a great event and exploring Woodstock and Quechee was amazing. There are Hot Air Balloon festivals throughout New England during the warmer months. One of my other favorites is the Stoweflake Hot Air Balloon Festival in Stowe, Vermont. Unfortunately, that one has not run since Covid-19.
Have you ever been to a Hot Air Balloon Festival?
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