Huge Hot Air Balloon Festival in Anderson over Labor Day Weekend!

6th annual Rising Above Cancer hot air balloon festival to take place in Anderson, SC over Labor Day Weekend – and it’s free!

There’s certainly something magical about a giant balloon floating peacefully in the vast air, without care and just being beautiful. You can see those and tons more at the 6th annual Rising Above Cancer Anderson hot air balloon festival on Labor Day Weekend 2023. The festival is only about 40 minutes from Greenville, SC. 

There is no entry fee, no tickets required for the kids’ zone, no admission for the live music and all the fun. This free festival raises funds through generous sponsors and vendors. If you do what to get up in the air, you can purchase a ride if the weather is favorable. 

The Hot Air Balloon Festival is part of the Celebrate Anderson Festival, with food trucks, music, activities, and more. All free.

Here’s what to expect. 

About the Hot Air Balloon Festival: Anderson, SC

This festival is the largest hot air balloon festival in the Upstate and more than 30,000 people are expected to attend. It will be held at the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center and includes three days of family-friendly fun. 

Some fun facts about the festival: 

• 30 Hot Air Balloons
• 50+ Vendors and Crafters
• 15+ Food Trucks and Beer Garden 
• Jeep Rally
• Games and Activities for the Kids
• Live Music including performances by Gritty Flyright and the Music Family
• Concert Finale on Sunday featuring country music artist Martina McBride 
• Laser Light Show and Fireworks

About the Cancer Association of Anderson

The Cancer Association of Anderson is a very small nonprofit in Anderson that supports local cancer patients. They raise all their funds by themselves so this is an important event to raise awareness for the organization and provide funds for them to do their important work. 

They use their funds to lessen the burden on Anderson County residents who are battling cancer by providing financial, physical, and emotional assistance.

I talked to Angie Stringer, who works for the Cancer Association of Anderson and is the event director, about how the festival was conceived. She was a cancer patient herself when she worked for Anderson County about ten years ago and had just come out of chemotherapy feeling beat up and exhausted. 

“I went outside and saw a hot air balloon floating in the air. It was then that I came up with the idea of ‘Rising Above Cancer.’” 

That was six years ago and Angie is in remission. She still adores hot air balloons. 

Festival Schedule, Hot Air Affair: Rising Above Cancer Event

The festival runs from September 1-3, 2023. 

Friday’s festivities start at 5 pm with the Kids Zone, food trucks, and vendors and end at 10 pm. From 6-8:30 pm, there are flights and tethers, and from 7-10 pm there is live music from The Band Silver. 

Saturday’s festivities kick off with flights and tethers from 7-8:30 am and the Jeep Rally goes from 10 am – 3 pm. The Kids Zone is open from 10 am – 10 pm. Live music starts at 4 pm and flights and tethers are in the evening. 

On Sunday, the Hot Air Balloon Festival and Celebrate Anderson combine for a fun day! There are flights and tethers from 7-8:30 am, the Kids Zone from 10 am – 5 pm, and more flights and tethers from 6-8 pm. 

Sunday night’s festival kicks off with the gates opening at the William Floyd Amphitheater at 5:30 pm and live music by Gritty Flywright and the Music Family Band at 6:30 pm. Martina McBride hits the stage at 8 pm and a big fireworks and laser show goes off at 9:30 pm. 

Guests are welcome to come to the festival up to an hour before balloons are supposed to take place to see the inflation process. There will also be some special ballooning competitions happening. 

Food and vendors will be there every day of the event. The full schedule is available on the festival’s website.

Booking Your Own Balloon Ride

There will be opportunities, depending on the weather, to ride in a hot air balloon. They are being offered apart from the festival due to insurance but at the same location. 

We do list the pilots that will give rides. It’s $300/per passenger and the flights are about an hour. About a dozen pilots will be doing flights and money is paid directly to them. For a list of pilots doing flights, see this list. Their contact information is on there. 

There will also be tethered rides from the KOA, ReMax, and other balloons. Those rides are around $20-$25/person. 

Tips on Enjoying the Festival 

As always, be prepared ahead for the festival by reading over these few short rules: 

• Please no outside food or drinks. 
• No pets 
• Blankets and chairs are welcome. 

The festival will happen rain or shine but safety always comes first with balloon rides and they are completely weather dependent. Basically, don’t promise your kids that they’ll be able to ride in a balloon or see them in flight. If bad weather moves in, you’ll only have tantrums to deal with and well, that’s no fun. Make it a surprise! 

Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center
3027 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Anderson, South Carolina
Rising Above Cancer Hot Air Balloon Festival

Looking for more things to do over Labor Day Weekend? We have a whole list for that!
Celebrate Labor Day near Greenville, SC