NATCHITOCHES, La. (KALB) - A new tradition kicks off in Natchitoches on July 4 and 5 as the inaugural Balloon Festival takes flight!
The event begins at the historic downtown riverbank where people will be able to enjoy live music, fireworks, food vendors and a hot air balloon flying over the Cane River.
KALB spoke with one of the organizers, Jill Leo, about the launch of what will hopefully be an annual event in Central Louisiana.
“We are looking forward to making this an annual event here in the summertime for us,” she said. “As many of you know, we have many festivals in the spring and fall, and this is just a great time to add to our line-up of festivals. We hope you’ll join us this weekend as we kick off the first annual event. We look forward to watching this event grow as we add balloons, vendors and more exciting events!”
The festival will continue on the evening of July 5 at the Natchitoches Fairgrounds. While the downtown riverbank event on Friday is free, the fairgrounds admission will be $25 per carload. There, the community will have the opportunity to take tethered hot air balloon rides, enjoy the music of the Mike McKenzie Band and see the hot air balloons glow like large lanterns through the dark summer night sky!