The International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is the largest

hot air balloon festival Hot air balloon festivals are held annually in many places throughout the year, allowing hot air balloons operators to gather- as well as for the general public- to participate in various activities. They can include races; evening "night glows" ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is held each August in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, about 40 minutes southeast of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

and about halfway between Montreal and

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. The festival is situated at the

Saint-Jean Airport Saint-Jean Airport is located in the southwestern section of the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. The airport handles general aviation traffic and is also the main site of the annual International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean ...

and weather permitting (no storm activity detected within range, , and winds above ), there are two flight launches each day: a morning flight at 6:00 am and an evening flight between 6:00 and 7:00 pm. Other festival activities include amusement rides, musical and comedy shows and "Nuits magiques" (tethered night flights). This festival went on hiatus in 2020.

External links

Official site
(English) Hot air balloon festivals Festivals in Quebec Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Tourist attractions in Montérégie Sports festivals in Canada {{Canada-festival-stub