Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival will launches up to 35 eye-catching hot air balloons in the spring.

The weekend brings over a handful of flights as the sun rises and sets. Two balloon glows take place the evening of Friday and Saturday in Kin Coulee Park, where half the hot air balloons are inflated, illuminated, and tethered to the ground while the other half lift off into the Medicine Hat sky. Saturday also brings a free Community Day at the Medicine Hat College.

“Everything is planned around our values of community, connection and hope. We see that throughout the whole weekend and it’s great to see it all come together.” - Willy Taillon, hot air balloon pilot and co-host of the event.

“I love when we hear everybody say how happy it makes them and how much they look forward to the festival. No matter the age, people love to see the balloons float by.” - Cindy Taillon, co-host of the event.

Our Collective Journey is an addiction and mental health non-for-profit organization that hosts the event in partnership with balloon pilots Willy and Cindy.

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