Reno hosts a multitude of special events each year including one of the most popular events on the calendar–The Great Reno Balloon Race. It’s the largest free balloon festival in North America, attracting an estimated 120,000 spectators and over 75 hot air balloons. The 43rd annual race happened on September 5th to 8th, 2024 at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park in Reno, Nevada.
Crowds flock to get to the park as early as 5 a.m. to catch the Super Glow Show. As the song Dueling Banjos blares from the loudspeakers, hot air balloons on either side of the field light their torches in a synchronized sound and light show. The highlight of the event is called the Dawn Patrol when six pilots light up their burners and fly into the pitch-black night sky.
Reno Dawn Patrol
“The Reno Dawn Patrol is considered one of the best Dawn Patrols in the world,” says Pete Copeland, Executive Director of The Great Reno Balloon Race. “The reason is that we are on the downside of the Sierra Nevada mountains, so we get good air to be able to fly in a rotation. Dawn Patrol involve six or seven pilots who fly in the dark and it’s a beautiful visual when they are firing up their burners. It’s a real specialty to fly it—you must have a special waiver and a special license. It’s really a spectacle and it’s probably the most popular event.”
The other main highlight of the event is when some 75 hot air balloons take off to the sky in unison. There are balloons in every colour and shape imaginable including 15 specialty balloons such as Police Dog, a giant turtle, a frog and Smokey the Bear.
For the balloon pilots, there’s big money at stake.
High stakes
“It’s a very competitive race,” explains Copeland. “We do two things. We do a bean bag drop like the old days where the balloons will fly over a giant X marked on the ground and the pilot drops a bean bag from the balloon—they can only fly so low– aiming for the middle of the target to score points. Then we have a new virtual target which the balloons must fly through. There is a big X in the sky which is done on an app. We give out a total of $10,000 in prize money.”
Copeland adds: “As a visual spectacle, it’s like nothing else. When you are emersed with hot air balloons all around, it’s like a fantasy. The fact that it’s free admission to fans is unique.” (Sponsors contribute about 45% of the organization’s revenue.)
The 2025 Great Reno Balloon Race takes place from September 5th to 7th.
For more information visit renoballoon.com
by Laurie Wallace-Lynch
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