Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday offer the best shows at Balloon Fiesta. They combine the launch of hundreds of balloons from the Launch Field with the allure of hundreds more maneuvering to the Launch Field for their chance at prizes and fame, creating a theatrical ebb and flow of color in the sky.
Through various competitions during Balloon Fiesta, pilots can demonstrate their flying finesse, control, and accuracy while competing with international peers for points and prizes.
Judge Declared Goals
In this competition, pilots demonstrate their knowledge of surface and upper level winds to navigate their balloons to a target destination at least one mile away. Pilots compete to drop a marker closest to the goal destination selected by the BalloonMeister.
Fly-in Task
During this exciting competition, pilots launch their balloons from a minimum distance from a selected target on the Launch Field. Pilots compete to drop a marker from a range of heights above the target, including task variations such as Balloon Fiesta Golf and Minimum Double drop.
Ring Toss
The ring toss is the most popular competition and requires pilots to launch one mile away from the Launch Field before navigating to one of the five tall poles and placing a ring over one. Pilots receive prizes for each ring that is successfully tossed.