Everything You Need to Know About the SWLA Hot Air Balloon Fest

It's quickly approaching. The inaugural SWLA Hot Air Balloon Festival is July 19 and 20, and we have everything you need to know about it in one spot! Below, you'll find info on purchasing tickets for the event, where to get free ones, how to take a balloon ride of your very own, where the beer is, and the giant lineup of entertainment that will there be all weekend.

TICKETS

GENERAL ADMISSION: If you want to purchase tickets online, you can head over to their site and grab them here. All general admission tickets are $15, and you can enter the event at any time during their operating hours of 5:30pm - close.

General Weekend Pass: Get a discount on both nights of balloon action for only $25.

Ultimate VIP Pass: Early entry (3:00pm) on Friday, shirt, souvenir glass for the beer tasting on Saturday, AC Bathroom, AC Tent, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, unlimited food, unlimited beer tasting. Be an ultimate VIP for $125.

Beer Festival Tickets: Saturday, July 20, will be a craft beer tasting event. With your Beer Festival ticket, you are allowed early entry to the grounds (12:00 noon), taste all of the craft beers they have available, and you will receive a souvenir glass to taste the entire selection. Beer is "all you can drink".

Weekend Pass Ultimate VIP: Early entry both days (3:00pm entry). T-shirt, souvenir glass, access to VIP air-conditioned tent, air conditioned Bathroom, unlimited beer tasting on Saturday and unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages plus VIP parking for $200.

VIP Parking: Don't feel like walking? Park up close and personal for only $30.

Ride in a Balloon: Ticket availability is based on their website to purchase tickets. If you would like to ride in a balloon, un-tethered, you can purchase a ticket for the day you want to go for $255. A $55 deposit is required to make a ticket reservation to assure you will be counted to take a ride.

Discounted Tickets

Trying to catch a deal on tickets? The Balloon Festival has partnered up with Market Basket for ticket sales. If you visit any courtesy booth at a participating Market Basket in Lake Arthur, Lake Charles, Iowa, Westlake, Leesville, Sulphur, Many, Vinton, Zwolle, Mansfield, Welsh, Kinder, or DeQuincy, you will receive $5 off any general admission ticket. Not sure where your local participating store is? Don't worry, click here for a full list of the locations.

Vendors and Food Available

The festival will feature food and craft vendors from all over SWLA, including Kona Ice, Mr. Blue's Shaved Ice, Cowboy Cones Shaved Ice, Cajun Ambrosia, HempWorx, Ideal Air Concepts, Leaf Filter Gutter Protection, USBORNE Books & More, MaxLiving Chiropractic, U.S. Army, Mr. Gatti's Pizza, and more. The list is growing by the day. To see if your favorite food vendor is coming, you can find the full list here.

Schedule of Events and Entertainment on Two Stages

For the detailed lineup of each day, the schedule will be updated here as we get closer to the event.

Friday: Called Faith and Family Night. Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles will be featuring local worship groups performing from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. This includes headliner, Jeremy Camp.

3:00pm - Festival gates open for VIP and church groups
5:00pm - General admission gates open
5:30pm - 8:30pm - Local worship group performances

Main Stage:
Trinity Baptist Church
Lacey Sturm (Flyleaf)
Jeremy Camp

Second Stage:
TBA

8:45pm - Balloon glow
9:00pm - Fireworks extravaganza
10:45pm - Gates close for the day

Saturday: The entertainment starts at 3:00pm with acts such as Rayo Brothers, The Rougaroux, Dustin Sonnier, and The Molly Ringwalds.

12:00pm - Festival gates open
3:00pm - 8:30pm - Local artist performances

Citadel Completions Stage:
Rayo Brothers
Dustin Sonnier
The Rougaroux
The Molly Ringwalds

Second Stage:
TBA

8:45pm - Balloon glow
9:00pm - Fireworks extravaganza
10:45pm - End of SWLA balloon festival 2019

Fireworks Each Night along with a Balloon Glow

Watch as all of the balloons in the festival inflate and rise off of the ground, breathing fire. The balloons will give off an amazing glow as they hover above the ground for all to see. At 9:00pm on the dot, the balloons will settle back down as patrons look to the sky for one of the largest fireworks displays in SWLA. The glow and fireworks are scheduled for both nights.