Hot air balloons in Anderson

Having missed the popular Upstate hot air balloon festival on the Fourth of July weekend (we were in Latvia), I had marked Balloons over Anderson on my calendar far in advance. Out near the Anderson Civic Center, the festival is an opportunity to see hot air balloons up close, take a ride in one, enjoy a magical nighttime light show, and spend quality time with family at a free event.

 

There are five scheduled flights throughout the weekend which are all weather permitting, therefore check the weather and event schedule before your visit. The festival started Friday with an evening flight and kick-off concert, but we opted to time our trip to coincide with the second flight on Saturday. Parking is free, and there are attendants throughout to help direct traffic. It was just a short walk across to the grounds where a couple balloons were already visible.

 

The balloon we had been able to see some distance away was tethered, rising up and down with festivalgoers who had paid a small fee per person. A second balloon was half-inflated on the ground, allowing visitors to discover the interior of one of these beautiful balloons. The atmosphere was of a carnival, with rides, greasy food and booths providing additional entertainment, however we were there to see the balloons. Having determined where the take-off would be occurring and in which general direction the balloons would be traveling, we spread out our picnic blanket and settled in for a wait.

 

The time window for lift-off was two hours, and due to lack of wind it was a good 30 minutes in before we saw any action. The chase trucks with their loads drove out onto the field, unrolling the balloons and setting up the baskets. Large fans were used to inflate up to a certain point, at which point the burners were switched on until the balloons were full and upright. The heat could be felt dozens of feet away, I wonder how the flimsy looking fabric doesn’t ignite or melt!

 

Soon the colorful orbs were popping up everywhere, and it wasn’t long until they started drifting off, carrying their passengers up and away over the Anderson countryside. We stayed until the last one was out of sight, only to be surprised by one balloon returning to land only 100 feet from where it took off – something I’m told is rather rare.

 

Our experience wasn’t over yet; we spent some time listening to the band, biding our time until the glow. The balloons lined up at dusk, inflating as soon as it was dark and illuminating the night sky. We had the opportunity to see them up close, but the magical moment was over far too soon and the crews sprung into action to pack up their cargo.

 

The Anderson hot air balloon festival is free to the public, in contrast to the Fourth of July weekend event in Simpsonville. I highly advise to bring the family and make an afternoon/evening of it; this is a fantastic spectacle with 25 hot air balloons rising almost simultaneously into the Anderson skies, not to mention the balloon glow at dusk. Our boys thoroughly enjoyed the experience, feet never leaving the ground.