Voted Best Festival in Mississippi!
Entertainment Headliner - Tonic
95Country Sunday's Randy Houser
2010 Photo Gallery!
2010 T-Shirt & Poster Art by William Smith
The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race is Mississippi's most exciting hot air
balloon race weekend! Two balloon flights take place each day,
weather permitting. Pilots compete as they fly over the cities of Natchez, Vidalia, and the mighty Mississippi River.
Our balloon festival weekend starts with the Balloon Glow Friday night, and continues through Sunday evening with a stage full of World Renowned Musicians. The festival itself takes place on the grounds of Rosalie Bicentennial Gardens, On Broadway Street in historic downtown Natchez.
Here's a map showing the festival's exact location.
Sorry, no pets, ice chests, or tents are permitted on festival grounds.
Saturday afternoon we'll erect a 50-foot pole on the fairgrounds. There will be a key at the top of the pole. Any pilot who can get close enough and grab the key wins a BRAND NEW TRUCK from Great River Chevrolet - GMC!
Our 2011 musical line-up features:
Check out our Entertainment Page to get more information about our 2011 Musical Lineup. You'll see photos of the bands with links to band websites.
Sponsored by City of Vidalia and the City of Natchez.
If you are a pilot, a vendor, or need some other specific help, please
see our
contact list.
The Great Mississippi River Balloon Race has become a popular tradition here every October, so make your hotel or bed and breakfast reservations early. For more info about Hotel or Bed and Breakfast accommodations see NatchezMS.com or VisitNatchez.org.
Sponsored by Cable One and First Choice Rentals
This year a larger tent and more TV's! Watch college football on Saturday and the New Orleans Saints on
Sunday during the festivities!
Sponsors are the folks who help us pay the bills and let us focus on bringing you one of the very top festivals in Mississippi, and perhaps in the South. Our Sponsors Page lists them and their website links.
Click on the links below to view slide shows displaying some of the photos taken by our Balloon Race Crews.
Many people ask us about take off and landing locations. Due to the nature of our race, those locations change frequently. We can tell you that the best place to watch is usually from the festival grounds themselves! The festival is held on the fairgrounds behind Rosalie Mansion on Canal Street.
Click Here to see a map with the location of the fairgrounds.
If you would like to be one of our Major Event Sponsors, Co-Sponsors, or Media Sponsors, please call Patricia Catchings at 601-442-2500.
For more great Festivals and Concerts across the nation go to JamBase.Com!
The Castle Restaurant and Pub at Dunleith
84 Homochitto St.
Doc BigLove's
408 Main St.
Natchez Eola Hotel and Guest House Inn
110 N. Pearl St.
Planet Thailand
116 N. Commerce St.
Cock of the Walk
200 N. Broadway St.
Natchez Coffee Company
509 Franklin St.
Ken and Lisa Maples
Jim Blough, Attorney at Law
Ater Warehouse, Inc.
Don W. Ater
Bryant Hammett & Assoc., LLC
Dimples Corporation
Kathy Traina, Artist
T. G. McCary, Photography
William Carl McGehee
Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau
Potter Garcia Management Group
Under The Hill Corporation