Overview The Great Forest Park Balloon Race is a free two-day balloon weekend in St. Louis's Forest Park, and the race is not about speed: one 'Hare' balloon launches first and lands somewhere in the metro area, its crew lays out an X, and the 'Hound' pilots, more than 50 balloons in the field, chase it and try to drop a bag of birdseed or beans closest to the center. Friday night is the Glow, when the balloons inflate on the field and light up like lanterns; Saturday is the Race, launched from Emerson Central Fields. The race began in 1973 and calls itself the second-oldest balloon race in the United States; the 2026 weekend was its 54th. Admission and parking are free, and sponsors pay for that. On site At the Glow, dozens of balloons inflate at dusk and, weather permitting, guests walk among them and meet the pilots, with food trucks, inflatables, games and music around the field. The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team jumps before the fireworks finale. On Friday night the Humane Society of Missouri hosts its Glow in the Park benefit in some of the best seats on the grounds. On race day Central Fields opens at 1 p.m. with festival food, a mainstage, games and inflatables, the Golden Knights open the ceremonies, and the balloons go up in waves across the skyline. Where they land depends on the wind, so pilots end up waving to people all over the St. Louis area. The festival map includes a family picnic area, an accessibility viewing area, shaped balloons and pilot trading cards. Audience The Friday Glow is the bigger night: the race estimates more than 80,000 people on Friday and more than 35,000 on the Saturday launch field, and the balloons are seen across the region as they fly. The race's own sponsor booklet reprints a 2017 St. Louis Post-Dispatch account of the crowd as young families, transplants who moved to St. Louis for work and lifelong residents, with several families talking in languages other than English. Track record The first race, in 1973, flew seven balloons in front of about a dozen spectators on Cricket Field at the north edge of Forest Park. On May 23, 2000, the Library of Congress took the race into its permanent collection as a Local Legacy, with its photos, programs, posters, videos and pins. The race marked its 50th year in 2022. The weekend and related activities raise more than $175,000 a year for local charities, the St. Louis parks department and the City of St. Louis; the Humane Society's Glow in the Park raises more than $100,000 of that for its Animal Cruelty Fund, and the race gives space to the St. Louis Police Athletic League, which funds more than 40 youth teams. Brand presence Stifel presented the 2026 race; PNC Bank, which had held the presenting position, described itself as a long-time sponsor. The presenting partner's balloon flies as the Hare and is the first to inflate at the Glow. Below that, sponsors can put their name on a landmark on the event map, from the mainstage and the Golden Knights jump to the family entertainment area and the LED wall, host a 30-by-60-foot VIP area beside the launch field, fly a balloon carrying a custom 26-by-16-foot banner (14 bannered balloons were offered for 2026), or take a 10-by-10 space on the Midway, where approved samples and giveaways are allowed.