Features a nightly balloon glow, arts & crafts, games, food booths, children's contests and street dances. Hare & Hound Race is Saturday and Sunday mornings. Hours are 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, sunrise to midnight Saturday, and sunrise to noon Sunday. Annually the last weekend of September.
The Balloon Festival is the major fund raiser of the year for the Optimist Club Unlimited of Abilene to support the youth of the Big Country with Scholarships and other programs throughout the year.