See Hot Air Balloons Fill the Skies at Ashland BalloonFest

It’s not uncommon to look up at the sky over Ashland on a sunny day and see the billowing colors of a hot air balloon overhead. The city, situated an hour from both Cleveland and Columbus, has become a home for hot air balloon pilots, including Zach Burgess, a longtime resident, owner of Ashland Balloon Rides and president of the Ashland BalloonFest. 

“As a kid we would go to BalloonFest … and just watch in complete wonder of the balloons being inflated and taking off,” Burgess says. 

Ashland was a balloon capital even before the festival was introduced in 1990, with the city being home to party-balloon producer Pioneer National Latex, which operated in town from 1939 until 2023. It was John Sidle, a local hot air balloon pilot who made the connection between these two very different balloon types and instituted the annual festival that celebrates 35 years this summer. 

Burgess notes that there are seven balloonists who often fly in Ashland, and they are among the around 35 pilots manning hot air balloons at the festival, which is hosted at Freer Field. Kicking off Thursday evening and running through Sunday, the festival grounds are home to vendor tents, live music and more than 20 food stops. A kids zone features inflatables and a visit from COSI, while helicopter rides provide visitors with a birds-eye view of the action. 

Of course, there are also plenty of chances to spot balloons in the air, with balloon flights running Thursday evening through Sunday morning. As day turns to night, the balloon glow illuminates the evening, casting the colorful fabric of the balloons in a radiant light that visitors can enjoy from lawn chairs and blankets. 

“It’s getting to the season where the community is going to see balloons flying a lot. Any chance the weather is good, we want to be in the air,” Burgess says. “And we want to remind everybody in the community that we are a hot air balloon town.”

Freer Field, 1256 Center St., Ashland 44905, ashlandballoonfest.com

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