The seventh annual FireLake Fireflight Balloon Festival will return to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Festival grounds Aug. 9-10, 2024. The festival offers two days of balloon glows, balloon launches and rides, live music and family friendly entertainment.
What to expect
Admission to the festival and parking are free, as are several live music performances.
Country music artist Cam Allen will headline the 2024 festival. Allen’s career took off when he began playing music for friends. One tweet made his sound go viral, and since then, he and his band have been on tour with Dwight Yoakam and have recently released a new EP.
Allen and his band will perform Saturday at 9 p.m. at Raymond Peltier Park near Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Navajo blues artist Levi Platero will kick off the weekend’s performances on Friday at 7 p.m. Grand Casino Hotel & Resort Play It Loud artist Adam Aguilar will take the stage on Saturday at 5 p.m., followed by Midnight South, an American country band with shades of rock and roll, pop and old-time music, at 7 p.m.
In addition to live music, festival guests can enjoy food trucks and artisan vendors from across Oklahoma, a 5K fun run, kids’ inflatables and carnival rides, helicopter rides, and more.
Twenty-five hot air balloons will fill the balloon field for evening glows, and tethered balloon rides will be available on a first come, first served basis, weather permitting. Balloon launches on Friday and Saturday mornings are another way festival guests can enjoy the hot air balloons.
FireLake Fireflight Balloon Fest is held in conjunction with the Outdoor Nation Expo, which offers family friendly hunting and fishing activities, demonstrations and vendors at FireLake Arena.
New in 2024
New in 2024 are the festival’s touch-a-truck event, scheduled to take place between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, as well as a drone show following the balloon glow on Friday night at 9 p.m.
Another improvement to this year’s festival comes with the launch of the festival’s official mobile application, which offers schedule customization, a GPS map, information about each of the balloons, vendors, and performers, as well as other exclusive content. The app also allows for direct communication with festival guests in the event of any weather delays, schedule changes or emergency situations. Those who download the app also receive certain benefits at FireLake enterprises and can enter a FireLake Sweepstakes for larger prizes.
Learn more and download the free mobile app at firelakeballoonfest.com.