What started years ago as a single-event hot-air balloon race has morphed into a three-day, four-event spectacular. With two balloon glows on Thursday and Friday evenings, a Friday morning “Rush Hour” race, and the main Saturday morning race, the BalloonFest has become a major staple of the Kentucky Derby Festival.

Because flying is a safety-first activity, weather impacts these events frequently. This may be why the Festival expanded the BalloonFest to multiple days to give the teams more opportunities to not get knocked out by the weather. And like Kentucky weather clockwork, the Friday night glow and Saturday morning race were scrubbed. But with the extra dates, the teams got to put on a spectacular show at the Louisville Waterfront Park on Thursday night. The color balloons glowing in the night sky put on a magical and mesmerizing show for the fans.