Plano Balloon Festival happening this weekend

The Plano Balloon Festival will go on as planned this weekend. But you might want to bring your raincoat and boots to the Oak Point Park festival grounds.

The organizers of the InTouch Credit Union Plano Balloon Festival say the event will go on Friday through Sunday despite the high chance of rain in the forecast.

Certain activities, especially those involving the balloons, could be suspended or delayed. There will be weather-related updates about the activities posted on the festival’s Facebook page.

Balloon pilot Keith Berry said steering a balloon is not like being in a helicopter or a small plane.

“Actually we go with the wind. And the wind at different altitudes will be different directions. So we try to stay, you know, with those winds and use those to steer us where we want to go,” he said.

The clouds were too low and the wind was too high for him to launch with FOX 4 reporter Dan Godwin Friday morning.

But aside from the balloon launches, one of the highlights of the festival each year is the balloon glow. The pilots will light up their balloons like giant colorful lanterns in the middle of Oak Point Park at 8 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night.

The festival also includes entertainment on two stages, a great variety of foods, a kids’ fun zone, fireworks and skydivers. It opens at 4 p.m. Friday and closes at 7 p.m. Sunday.

FOX 4 is a proud sponsor of the event. You can meet some of your favorite anchors and reporters at the FOX 4 booth.

LINKS:
www.planoballoonfest.org
www.facebook.com/planoballoonfestival