The Great Falls Balloon Festival (www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org) has been going on for about 15 years. It's an annual event that takes place in August. Over the last few years we've had about 45 balloons making it one of the largest balloon festivals in Northern New England. What makes this festival unique is they launch the balloons over the city rather than from mountains or open spaces. There's a lot of entertainment all weekend long like rock bands, food, activities, games for the kids, and even a boxing demonstration. The 3-day period usually brings in around 100,000 people. Depending on the weather, it's a very fun festival. Obviously if there is no wind, you can't go anywhere. You can purchase a balloon ride for around $200. It's pretty expensive, but you can stay up there as long as the balloon will go. Some people last year were seen 10 miles away.
