Hot Air Balloon Festival “Balloons Over Bavaria”

Each year dozens of hot air balloons gather in Frankenmuth, MI for a race, and it is quite the event to behold! We loved this event, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who is able to make a trip to “Michigan’s Little Bavaria”, as Frankenmuth is lovingly called.

Details
Date: May 26th-28th
Location: Frankenmuth, MI
Cost: Free
Family Friendly: Yes
Handicap Accessible: Yes
Pet Friendly: Yes
Food: Standard Greasy Carnival Food or Variety of Restaurants
Parking: Ample, free parking all over

Before the race, some of the balloons (about 15 out of 45) gather on a field in Frankenmuth for visitors to take a close up look at how the balloons work and look (I believe I heard someone saying the race started at 5am the following morning, so I don’t doubt that the rest of the balloon pilots were getting some sleep!). I’d never seen hot air balloons so close up, and they’re really beautiful! The balloon pilots were available to ask questions, but we were too busy admiring the glowing balloons, so these photos were as close as we got to the balloons. It was a lot of fun to watch them inflate the balloons, and the heat from the flames was an exciting way to stay warm on a chilly late-spring evening. Admission was free so I’d definitely say it was worth the visit! I’ve officially added riding in a hot air balloon to my bucket list! In addition to the balloons, there were several food trucks scattered about serving up greasy deep fried cheese and hot dogs, as well as sugary drinks, but there are lots of places to eat in Frankenmuth, so there’s something for everyone here! The next day in this small town was some sort of dog festival or competition, but we didn’t stick around to watch that this time, although I’ve heard it’s tons of fun.

The beautiful city of Frankenmuth has at least one festival every month, so stay tuned for more festival guides!

Check out my review of Prost in Frankenmuth for an idea of where to eat when in town!

Thank you for reading!

Safe travels!

xAnnie Fairfax
Follow Me for More: @AnnieFairfax

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