The Great Forest Park Balloon Race

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race invites you to celebrate blue skies and soft landings. This annual tradition brings more than 100,000 spectators together for two days of outdoor fun, “wow” moments, new experiences, and memories to last a lifetime.

GFPBR is one of the longest running hot air balloon races in the country, and one of the only that takes place in a large metropolitan city. The tradition began in 1973 with a handful of hot air balloons and a few spectators. Now an internationally renowned event, GFPBR welcomes more than 50 of the nation’s best hot air balloon pilots and thousands of spectators annually. Learn more about this unique history.