Plano Balloon Festival

This is a totally family-friendly event with tons to do during the Weekend.

Come learn all about what’s in store for the fun weekend ahead for the H-E-B| Central Market Plano Balloon Festival.

When:

Doors open at 4:00 pm on Friday, September 23rd at Oak Point Park.

Saturday, September 24th from 6 am – 10 pm

Sunday, September 25th from 6am – 7 pm.

Where

Oak Point Park, 2801 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano, TX 75074

Driving Directions

Driving Routes from Central Expressway include:

• Exiting at George Bush / 190, Plano Parkway, Park Blvd., or Parker Rd.
• Travel eastward to Jupiter Road and continue north.
• Follow the signs for the nearest parking lot.
• Spring Creek Parkway between Jupiter and Parker Roads will be closed to traffic.

Parking

Most parking will cost about $15 for one-time entry.

Check these good places to park.  

Collin College Spring Creek Campus
2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, Texas 75074
Get Directions

Oak Point Recreation Center
6000 Jupiter Road
Plano, Texas 75074
(Intersection of Jupiter and Spring Creek Parkway)
Get Directions

First United Methodist Church
3160 E. Spring Creek Parkway
Plano, Texas 75074
(Intersection of Parker Road and Spring Creek Parkway)
Get Directions

Offsite Parking is another option. It’ll cost $10 to park at Plano Center but you will have a farther walk.

Some visitors also park at the local Dart station at Parker Rd and get a free ride on a bus to get there.

Tickets

You can pre-purchase your tickets or buy them at the door.

All Plano ISD elementary students usually get a complimentary ticket to get in free to the festival for one of the days so check those backpacks!

A Weekend Ticket costs $20 for the whole event

$10 for a 1-day ticket for ages 12+ 

$5 for a 1-day ticket for Kids aged 3-12 and for Seniors 65+ 

Free Tickets are available for Kids who are under 36 inches and all Military and First Responders. 

For the Kids’ Fun Zone, you can purchase a wristband for all-day-play which is valid on Inflatable and Mechanical rides only for $20.

Rides vary in price from $2.50 – $5. Two Ticket Booths are located within the Kids Fun Zone.

Check out all the Fall Festivals in Dallas & Collin County

What Events and Attractions will you find at the Plano Balloon Festival?

If you have never been to the Plano Balloon Festival, you are in for a real treat!

This is one of Plano’s biggest events and it is so much fun!

The biggest attractions are the Balloons of course.

Balloons are in the park Thursday at 6:00PM, Friday at 6:00PM, Saturday at 7:00AM and 6:00PM, and Sunday at 7:00AM and 6:00PM (*weather permitting).

There will be 40 beautiful, colorful balloons lighting up and taking off into the sky 2x a day along with a fun ‘glow’ that happens each night. (This is fun for the kids!) 

The 12 featured Special Shapes that are participating this year include Joelly the Baby Bee, Betty Jean the Butterfly, Tomcat, Terry Mouse, Bimbo Bear, High Kitty, Peg Leg Pete the Pirate Parrot, Humpty Dumpty, Love Birds, Annie the Lady Bug, SpyderPig, and the always popular High Jack.

A Parachute Team will perform Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons at 5:30 pm by jumping from their plane over the park and landing right in the middle of the launch field

Local Bands will perform Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night, and Community Groups will be performing on the main stage throughout the event.

FIREWORKS will go off on Saturday night!!!

To top it all off Friday and Saturday evenings there will be a Balloon GLOW after dark that is a must see! Get there around 7.30 to get a good spot on the lawn or hills for the best view.

You can step onto the ground with the balloons to get a close-up look also.

Enjoy a Kids Fun Zone

Ticket Booths open Thursday 5:00PM – 9:00PM | Friday 4:00PM – 9:00PM | Saturday 8:00AM – 9:00PM | Sunday 8:00AM – 6:00PM
Rides open Thursday 5:00PM – 9:00PM | Friday 4:00PM – 10:00PM | Saturday 8:00AM – 10:00PM | Sunday 8:00AM – 7:00PM

This year’s fun and interactive inflatable include obstacle courses, zipping down the huge slides and riding the pirate ship or the berry-go-round.

What activities are there for Younger Kids?

For Toddlers, they can experience the fun of inflatables that are just their size.

Children can enjoy the creative make and take art activities in our FREE Kids Korner as they make their way through the different craft stations.

Get your Face Painted and explore music at the Plano Symphony Orchestra Instrument Area.

Head down to Visit State Fair of Texas With Kids & Save Money too!

Know Before You Go

• This event is very fun but it’s outside and is weather permitting. It can be very hot still in September so dress accordingly and plan to be hot! If it does rain the balloon events do get canceled.
• It will be crowded. Be prepared for crowds, bring your patience.
• You are not encouraged to bring pets!
• Coolers are allowed but they do have tons of food trucks and food vendors set up so plan to eat some yummy food out there!
• Bring chairs and blankets for picnic style and enjoy the evening. Bubbles or a Ball are good entertainment while you are waiting for the events to start.
• If you are planning to buy the wristband for the Kids Zone, go early as lines get longer during the afternoon and before the “Glow”
• Wear comfortable shoes because you might have to park and walk far.
• Plan to have some family fun and enjoy this amazing event!!

We’ll see you at the Plano Balloon Festival!

How many days are left??