New Jersey Is Hosting a Massive Hot Air Balloon & Music Festival This Month

The New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning will welcome fans from July 29โ€“31.

You don't need to fly all the way to Cappadocia to catch beautiful hot air balloons swarming the sky. You can just hop over to New Jersey at the end of July.

This year, the 39th annual edition of New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning is taking over Hunterdon County's Solberg Airport in Readington, New Jersey from July 29 through July 31. Featuring colorful balloons in the most creative shapes, the festival will also have a huge music component, making it the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America.

In addition to balloons and great music, the event will have something for everyone from families with kids to young adults and even seniors. Amusement rides will entertain every brave guest, and fireworks will be ready to light up the summer night sky. On one night, balloons will be lit up to glow like giant lanterns instead.

Food and drinks won't be lacking, and festival-goers can expect to find many different vendors on the grounds serving delicious comfort food.

"We're excited that people want to be enjoying themselves and spend time outdoors with their families and friends," Festival Executive Producer Howard Freeman said in a press statement. "We have something for people of all ages. We're proud of all the great fun things we have to offer and of the value we provide year after year."

Twice each day, once in the early morning and once in the early evening, guests will get the chance to lift their chins up to the sky and watch the balloons ascend. The balloons will feature fun shapes, including a few new ones, like a tiger, a rocket ship, a flying saucer, Billy the Kid, and other characters. Iconic and famous balloon shapes will also be making a comeback, and guests will be able to catch a glimpse of The New Jersey Lottery's 135-foot-tall yellow balloon in the shape of the sun (the festival's signature balloon), the Pepsi football, and a unicorn, among others.

Music heads will get the chance to attend the performances of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Todd Rundgren, Kansas, and Collective Soul, and the purchase of admission will get visitors the chance to access lawn seating. For reserved seating, instead, guests can purchase V.I.P. admission.

For more information on the day-to-day activity schedule and to purchase tickets, you can visit the festival's website.

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Serena Tara is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.