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The U.S. Bank Derby Festival® Great Balloon Race® is one of Louisville's favorite family traditions. When the Balloons lift off, it provides spectators young and old with an exhilarating view of boundless colors and shapes. Click here to view a history of the Great Balloon Race®.
How it works
The Great Balloon Race® follows a combination of a "Declared Goal" and the traditional ballooning game of "Hare and Hound" race format. The U.S. Bank balloon leads the action as "the Hare". As any good hound would do, the other balloons spawn an aerial chase of the Hare, launching in a planned sequence minutes after the Hare.
The winds determine where the balloons fly. The Hare Balloon flies until it finds a suitable spot preferably in a vacant field. It lands and lays out a large fabric "X" as the target. In hot pursuit, the Hounds try to drop a small bag of Kentucky Bluegrass seed as close to the "X" as possible, all without landing. Race officials then measure the distance between the target and the bag of grass seed at the target zone and calculate points.
FESTIVAL TIP:
Due to construction at the Fairground, attendees may still enter through the main KFEC gate off Phillips Lane, but will have to access the field through South Wing A.
Parking will be a premium at KFEC on Friday night. Your best bet to be parked for the U.S. Bank Balloon Glow is to come out early. |
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The pilot with the most accurate toss is the overall winner receiving $3000 and bragging rights for a year!
Just 7 balloons flew in the inaugural race from Iroquois Park in 1973. A field of more than 40 balloons will take to the sky in 2008. View previous winners.
Come out and enjoy the 2008 U.S. Bank Great Balloon Race® on April 26th, at 7:00 AM. It's a gorgeous site and best of all, the event is free when you wear your 2008 Pegasus Pin®. The race has four flight windows to get off the ground.
Hot Flashes
One of the most anticipated events of balloon race weekend is the U.S. Bank Derby Festival® Great Balloon Glow. A companion event to the race, the balloons inflate in their launch position on the field, but do not ascend. This spectacular event truly rivals the race in popularity with more than 80,000 fans in attendance annually!
The 2008 U.S. Bank Derby Festival Great
Balloon Glow promises to be better than
ever, with children's interactive games at
the venue.
The static luminary show is scheduled for 9 PM at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center on Friday, April
25th and will be broadcast live on WAVE 3. There is a rain date of 9 PM the following day. Admission is free if you are wearing a 2008 Pegasus Pin®. Make sure you come early and visit the other Festival events at KFEC to avoid the crowds and traffic.
| Balloon Briefs |
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- Glow - Fri. April 25 at 9 PM
- Race - Sat. April 26 at 7 AM
- Both are free when you wear a 2008 Pegasus Pin®. $4 KFEC parking.
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