The Great Forest Park Balloon Race

It was a absolutely beautiful day for a balloon race. We got to Forest Park at about 1:30. All the lots were full but street parking was still available, albeit with a bit of a walk. The five-​year old loved the inflatable bouncy house and attractions. At $ 2 a ticket, it wasn’t too expensive, and after 5 ‘rides’ he was happy to move on. As always, admission to the Park was free, but the eats were expectedly a bit pricey. Lemonade was fresh tasting, and the funnel cakes were done well. The conditions were too windy for the balloon glow on Friday evening, so the event was cancelled. While there was some talk about possibly delay the race start, that didn’t happen. However, there was some adjustments in how the start was staged and a few balloons didn’t make it off the ground. This is the first balloon race day we attended, and having seen it, I think the experience of being able to get up close and personal with the balloons and their crews during the glow is better. We’ll be at the glow again next year.

Tonight was our first attempt at the balloon glow. Apparently it was too windy to inflate the balloons, so they just lit the flames a lot. It wasn’t very exciting, and there were soooooo many people you could not move! It was just an excuse for vendors to sell food. I could see how it would be fun other years but it was not worth the traffic and parking tonight.

I’m normally not in Forrest Park much, but this is definitely one of those times that I would make an exception and take a special trek down to see the Balloons light up. Yes, it’s always crowded and it’s really difficult to find parking, but it’s worth the hassle if you’re coming with kids. I highly recommend taking the metro if you can. It’s only a short fifteen minute walk from the Central West End station or the Forrest Park station. Just a heads up, the walk can be a little unpleasant because of the hills. Biggest mistake wearing uncomfortable shoes. But if I had worn something like sneakers, it would have made a perfect evening. Also, if you make it during the the evenings, it’s a great time to take some pictures. I highly recommend this for a fun evening — great for a family night out, date night or just a great excuse to get out of the house. I highly recommend grabbing dinner/​coffee in CWE and then walking down here or possibly the other way around. Either way it’s a great way to build up an appetite or work off a heavy dinner.

St Louis has so many free events and this one never disappoints. A friend that I was with was hoping for more food trucks, but I was grateful for the little vendors. I got the gyro and it was delicious. Plenty of drinks (adult and kid) options were delightful. Now it is time to talk about the balloons. Seriously, you can walk around under the balloons and watch the magic happen. It was a sight to see when the horn blasted and all of the balloons glowed… I love this event more and more every time I go.

I just happened to be in town for this so I checked it out, my first balloon inflating experience. It was a little frustrating trying to find the park since things were not marked, but after walking around a while I found it: a nice mellow crowd watching the balloon fill with hot air, taking off one by one over the city. I didn’t really get the sense this was a race? They take off one by one until the time cutoff. Sadly the triple size Energizer bunny float didn’t seem to get off the ground. Some nice carnival/​festival snacks to sample around the inflation area. Beautiful sunset on the most colorful balloons. Seems quite crowded, I took the train which seems recommended since the traffic appeared to shut down the area for miles.

This review is for the Balloon Glow, which happens the night before the actual race.
My husband and I attended this event and it was pretty cool! A whole bunch of hot air balloons get filled up as the sun sets in Forest Park. It looks really awesome! Every few minutes, a horn blows and all the balloons light up at the same time. We enjoyed walking through the field and looking at the different designs on each balloon.
It took us about half an hour to walk around and look at the hot air balloons. After that, we decided to leave because we didn’t feel like waiting in long lines for food.
Getting to and from the event was the biggest obstacle for us (and all the tens of thousands of people trying to do the same thing). We were driving north on Hampton to get into Forest Park, but traffic was crawling and we were still over a mile away from central field, where the balloons were set up. We saw lots of people walking towards the park, so we just decided to park in the Dogtown area and walk. It was probably a mile walk and it took us only 20-​ish minutes. It wasn’t too bad because the weather was beautiful. However, I would highly recommend that you bike or take the metro there instead of driving. It’s seriously crazy!
Summary: It’s a pretty unique experience! If you haven’t been, go check it out (but don’t drive there if you can avoid it). As for me, one time was enough; now that I’ve seen it, I probably won’t be back next year.

Do not waste your time for this event unless you try to get there several hours before it starts. Attempted to go to the balloon glow after getting off work at 5:30 in St. Louis city, and two hours in the car later missed the entire event. Had paid nearly $ 100 for special event ticket I could not use. Avoid.

I went to the balloon glow (this event is on the night before the baloon race) with a bunch of friends. The event was great! Bright, colorful, fun, and crowded. It was almost like a Fourth of July crowd. You could hop onto the base of the balloon and take a picture with the fire above your head and balloon glowing over it There were good stalls around as well though we walked down to the pi pizzeria at Lindell. A must go for everyone living in St. Louis who like to explore new things. I could not make it or the balloon race the next day but will go for it this year !

Oh what fun!
I attended the Balloon Glow on Friday night and it was a blast! There were tons of people, but get there before dusk. Find a spot to sit and bring a picnic. Do not bring chairs, only a blanket. You’ll be pissed you have to lug chairs around later. Once it starts to get dark, they will starting glowing the balloons! Occasionally a horn blows and they all try to glow together! So pretty! You can walk up to all of the balloons and have a chat with the folks in the baskets if you want. There was a band and lots of food and drink vendors. Be sure to stay until the end — all the balloons will come down (which is a little like looking behind the curtain for the wizard) but then they have fireworks, which were very good. Parking, as you might imagine, is a bit of a disaster, but if you park strategically and are willing to walk a bit, you can get out fairly easily.
On Saturday, the balloons were supposed to take off for a race, with the Energizer bunny as the pace car setting the route, but something must have gone awry this year — balloons were in the air all hodgepodge.
The balloon glow was easily one of the best free public events I’ve attended in years.

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race is another must do if you live in Saint Louis or even have the chance to visit the weekend of the race. The event starts off Friday night with the Balloon Glow, where each of the balloons are inflated and lit for several hours after dark. This is such an awesome experience and a true sight to be seen. The following day, around 3−4pm the Balloon Race takes off, with several balloons inflating and taking off at the same time this this provides some amazing sights and even adds some excitement to see which one gets off the ground first.
The crowds can be a bit much, so be warned Forest Park is going to be a pain, my suggestion is to take Metro Link or even park in the Central West End and walk it, yes it will be a bit of a hike up and down hills so it might not be ideal for everyone however it is well worth it. If you have a bike, thats another great option to avoid the traffic.

It’s fantastic. The crowds can be a bit much, but of course — It’s free. It’s beautiful. Gorgeous air balloons. Picnic action. It’s lovely.
My favorite part is watching all of the balloons deflate.
Ride your bikes. :)

Suuuuper cute. Bring some snacks, a blanket to sprawl out on, and a bottle of wine if that’s your style. It gets crowded, but since the balloons go all over the park, you can easily find a spot where you can see them all.

We went to the Glow last Friday night. I was going to write a review just for that, but I guess it’s all part of the Race event.
There was an absolutely HUGE crowd and honestly, it got kind of scary. I just about walked on a kid that was inexplicably sitting on the ground in the middle of the balloons. I’d rate it a pretty good possibility someone could get trampled some time at this event, with everyone looking up at the balloon, taking pictures… everything except watching where they’re going. So it’s not the place to go if you don’t like crowds, or if you don’t want to walk a mile or two. One more complaint: the food offerings were pretty krappy «carnival fare» with prices jacked up and LONG lines.
Okay, the complaining part is over.
I still give it 4 stars because it’s just such a cool thing to see. In case you haven’t been, the glow occurs about every 5 – 10 minutes when a horn sounds — all the balloons trigger their flames so they’ll all light at once.
Tips: I really don’t recommend bringing a chair, although a lot of people did. The main event for us, was walking around amongst the balloons and getting lots of different perspectives. A picnic lunch would be a good plan, best if you can throw all evidence away so you won’t be burdened while walking around.
You might want to arrive an hour or more early for the best parking — bring a blanket plop down on for the wait. I also recommend parking near a park exit IF you park within the Park boundaries at all. We arrived in the area about a half-​hour early and ended up walking quite a ways. We did see a $ 5 lot next to the Chase that had plenty of spots 20 minutes before the official start. We might do that next year.
Bottom line, if you haven’t seen this yet, give it a try. It’s a big deal for our city and something you should do at least once.

I can’t believe I will be missing this event this year. I look forward to this from the day the previous one ends. Bummer but I will be in Seattle for the weekend. Maybe I’ll catch one in a different city.
If you are going, get there early, pack a blanket, chairs and a small cooler. Relax and enjoy the day!

I did this last fall with an amazing person. We brought a little cooler of Sangria and crackers with turkey pepperoni and it was soo cool. I loved the Cow Balloon… (I think it was a cheese advertisement.) Ya I know it doesn’t take much to please me.

A balloon glow? Are you KIDDING me? This has to be one of the coolest things that happens in St. Louis, to my knowledge.
The whole weekend is great, from the SLSO’s kickoff concert on Thursday night to the actual race proper over the weekend, but by far the neatest part has to be the balloon glow event.
Imagine it, for a minute: the cool breezes of early fall, the smell of funnel cake, fried potatoes, and beer in the air; picnic blankets spread about and adults and children alike waiting for the sun to set.
And suddenly, the center of the huge field begins to come alive as one, two, twelve, twenty! balloons seem to rise from the earth, just in time to be full and looming by the time dusk falls.
And oh, as that horn blares and the balloons light! The heat from the fires and the applause of the crowd!
The Balloon Race is worth making a special trip out to St. Louis for, hands down.

This is one of the coolest things we have going on in St. Louis in the early fall. I love going down to the balloon glow the night before the race, curling up on a blanket with tacky picnic food and wine, and watching the balloons light up the field. It’s great to go with friends or on a date, either way, it’s gorgeous and totally worth checking out.
If you are more into the idea of the race, that’s pretty awesome as well. There are a TON of balloons racing in this thing and it’s neat-​o to watch them all take off. When the weather is nice and it’s a crisp Fall day, you feel so kitchy watching this all occur. This is not something you would find in most cities and certainly something that screams St. Louis to me every time I see it.
This awesome event will be occurring NEXT WEEKEND! (September 19 is the glow September 20 is the race) but changes every year. Check out the dates and times online. This is great for kids and adults alike… at least, that’s how it seems to be every year for me.

Beautiful and old school. Totally makes me want to go visit the arch and learn about the 1904 world fair.

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race is something that everyone must go to at least once in their life. Of course, this is not just limited to one day. To see this in full, you must devote a night and an afternoon.
The night before the balloon race, Forest Park lights up with what seems like giant lanterns. The lanterns of course are the hot air balloons being fired up at night, putting on a show for all those to see. It is a lot of fun to walk through and see them. For me, I enjoy this part the most.
The afternoon, the day of the race is just as fun though. It is neat to watch these giant balloons take off from the ground and make their way across the sky, just going along with the wind.
The Great Forest Park Balloon race is a must for anyone.