Don't Miss This Year's Festival!
Plans are underway for the 34th Annual South County Hot Air Balloon Festival, one of Yankee Magazine's TOP 20 Summer Events in Rhode Island.
Each year we try to create greater value for our guests. New this year we will host the "Official RI State BBQ Championship Competition." This is a Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event where the winner will qualify to compete in the Jack Daniels National Championship to be held this fall. To compliment this new addition to our festival, we will be expanding our selection of food with the addition of award winning BBQ food vendors, who will be offering mouth watering, world class BBQ to treat your taste buds.
Don't miss the KITE TEAM which will fly as many as 18 thirty foot shape kites when there is too much wind for the balloons.
If that weren't enough, Bwana Jim’s Wild Animal Show will delight the young and old alike, and The Cannon Lady will provide thrills when she becomes a human projectile, fired from a cannon. We cannot forget the other great amusements. The carnival will fill Boss Arenas parking lot as usual, the live trout pond is ready for action, free train rides along with "Bouncies", an exciting new Balloon attraction for the kids, pony rides and petting zoo
Oh, did we mention the Fireworks, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band and remote control plane demonstrations?
Also new this year, you can follow us on Facebook! Be sure to visit our Facebook page, share with your friends, and of course, don't forget to hit our "Like" button. You could win a free admission to the festival.
Daily Admission prices*
*Visitors with paid admission may leave the festival and return the same day.
Festival History
The Annual South County Hot Air Balloon Festival is an ongoing gathering of community, music, and of course lots of balloons. The event is held at the University of Rhode Island Athletic Fields in Kingston, Rhode Island each July, and features up to 14 hot air balloonists or aeronauts for three days of flying around Southern Rhode Island.
The Festival is the main fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Wakefield, and we are proud to say that since the festival's beginning, the Rotary Club of Wakefield has raised over $1,000,000 with your support. Holding true to the Rotary motto "Service Above Self", 100% of the proceeds from this event are donated and used for charitable purposes.