Balloon Festival Provides a Lift of the Spirit as You Cut the Pandemic Tethers That Kept You Homebound

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New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning
Image via New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning.
The New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning runs July 23-25 at Solberg-Hunterdon Airport in nearby Readington Township, NJ.

The annual New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning has been cleared for takeoff.

It runs July 23-25 at Solberg-Hunterdon Airport in nearby Readington Township, NJ.

The event has plenty of music, food, amusement rides, a 5k, entertainment, and fireworks. But the main attraction is the twice-daily launch of 100 sport and specially shaped hot air balloons. For a public that has spent 16 months overdosing on Netflix, the 2021 sky spectacle is sure to be breathtaking.

The hot air balloon inflations and ascensions — what festival organizers call the “magic of ballooning” — take place in the early morning and early evening. As the sun sets, the balloons are beautifully lit from within against the night sky.

New this year are the New Jersey Lottery bright yellow sun balloon, a colorful unicorn, and a giant sloth. Returning favorites include the 110-foot-tall Unique Photo panda bear.

“We’re excited that people want to be outdoors, enjoying themselves. The size and openness of Solberg Airport allows us to have a safe environment to hold the festival and produce the lifelong memories people have come to enjoy,” said New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning Executive Producer Howard Freeman.

Freeman said the festival will follow whatever guidelines and protocols NJ Governor Phil Murphy, the CDC, and local agencies have in place at the time.

The festival has raised more than $3 million to benefit local charities, nonprofits and children’s specialized hospitals.

Tickets are available online.

Images via New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning

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