The View from a Hot-Air Balloon

Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival Returns for its 30th Anniversary

Two of the first hot-air balloons to launch. Source: Sasha Tuddenham '24.

The sound of rushing air disrupted the quiet dawn. The sun began to peek over the horizon to melt the dew covering the grassy hills. Packs of families wrapped in blankets and sipping on hot chocolate watched in awe as the first hot air balloon began to leave the ground. 

For over thirty years, individuals have gathered in Tymor Park to experience the tranquility of the Hudson Valley Hot-Air Balloon Festival.  This year, fifteen balloonists launched their hot air balloons as dawn broke over Union Vale, New York. Throughout labor day weekend, colorful balloons dotted the sky. The balloons featured every design from resembling a rainbow to being shaped like a tuxedo. 

What began as a chosen day where balloonists simply launch their flights at a coordinated time became a festival that welcomes 25,000 guests each year. Guests can purchase a full-flight balloon ride for about three hours in the air. However, due to the limited number of balloons able to fly, tethered balloon rides, going up into the air for about twenty minutes, are exceptionally popular.

Evelyn Milburn ‘24 attended the hot-air balloon festival for the first time this year. It had always been a dream of hers to fly in a hot-air balloon. After waking up at 4 a.m. to get to the festival before it started at 6 a.m., she was so glad she sacrificed her sleep for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. She was able to get the feel for ballooning with a tethered balloon ride, after waiting in line with hundreds of other guests.

“It was just like… floating. That’s the only way I can describe it; we were just floating,” Milburn said. “And it was the best feeling in the world.”

She loved speaking with balloonist, Scott Griswold, who was piloting the tethered hot-air balloon. Griswold admitted that he has never tired of ballooning. His father owned hot-air balloons while Griswold was growing up. When his father passed away, Griswold’s brother taught him how to pilot a hot-air balloon. The brothers eventually started their own company, Above All Balloon Rides. 

Caitlin Whitting ‘24 was also thrilled by her decision to attend the hot air balloon festival. Her parents attended in the past and have raved about it ever since. 

“I never realized how huge hot air balloons were until I was standing right beside one,” Whitting said. “Watching people flying away in a basket supported by a ginormous balloon was a view straight out of a movie.”

The balloons could only launch between 6:30-9 a.m. or 5:30-8:30 p.m. Hot-air balloons can only be launched in the early morning or later in the evening due to the strength of the sun. Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, the organization in charge of the event each year, also warns that all balloon launches are dependent on calm weather.

For guests like Whitting who preferred to watch the hot air balloons from the ground, the festival offered dozens of boutique pop-up tents full of tapestries and homemade honey for guests to browse through while waiting for the balloons to launch. The cart with the longest line was the Donuts for Days pop-up, as it was the perfect snack for the early attendees. In the chilly morning air, guests were able to buy hot cinnamon doughnuts, hot chocolate and coffee. 

There was never a dull moment. The festival even offered sunrise yoga for guests to relax while watching the hot-air balloons float away. Over the loudspeakers, the radio station WRWD Country 107.3 blasted music to energize the crowd. The host, Chris Marino, was at the festival all weekend, so he did not waste any time saying hello to the pilots and returning guests. Each night, the festival also set off fireworks to showcase the night sky filled with hot-air balloons and set out lawn games like giant chess for the families to play.

“It’s a community at the end of the day,” Milburn said. “A hot air balloon festival is such a niche activity. I think people love to escape the monotony of their lives by exploring special or unique interests.

Scott Griswold taking festival attendees on tethered hot-air balloon rides. Source: Sasha Tuddenham '24