The 53rd Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championship takes place in Boyle’s Lough Key Forest Park from Saturday September 20th until Friday September 26th.
All flights are weather permitting: Saturday 20th September: PM only. Sunday 21st to Friday 26th inclusive: AM and PM.
AM Flights – We aim to be in the air at approx. 07:30 however, this time may vary by an hour or so either side depending on the weather each morning, preparation for launch will commence approx. 45 minutes before take-off.
PM Flights – We aim to be in the air at approx. 17:30 however, this time may vary by an hour or so either side depending on the weather each evening, preparation for launch will commence approx. 45 minutes before take-off.
Pilots participate in a briefing with the Championships Director prior to each planned flight (at approx. 6:30am & 4:30pm) where a fly/ no fly decision will be made. As soon as this decision is made, a post will be put on the official Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships Facebook page only. We will endeavour to give as much notice as possible of all our plans but please be aware, a lot of the time, decisions and the time scale in which we can make them, are out of our control however, we will usually be able to give approx. an hours notice of a planned launch. Flights are normally around an hour in duration and we hope to have as many as 25 balloons in the air per flight.
Please make sure you “like” and “follow” the official Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships Facebook page in order to get the update notifications however, we are aware that sometimes, Facebook won’t advise you of a notification at all/ in time for you to read prior to a launch so, we always advise you check yourself around 6:45am and 4:45pm. If you can’t see an update on the Facebook page, it may be that we haven’t yet been able to make a decision so please do check back again in a few minutes. We will always keep you updated with information as soon as we have it.
The public are actively encouraged to come out and see the balloons as they launch. The balloons will make a spectacular display in the skies over Boyle so bring your camera. The attraction of so many balloons flying can be mesmerizing, so we issue a note of caution to be mindful of traffic and road users while enjoying the spectacle!
Information from Lough Key Forest Park
To ensure this is a safe and family-friendly experience, we kindly ask all visitors to follow our parking guidance. All attendees will be directed to our designated car parks, which will help keep access roads clear for emergency vehicles and make the event smoother for everyone. Please do not park along the avenues as any safety concerns may result in a NO FLY decision.
Parking operates on an exit charge of €6 per vehicle. Even better – if you spend €20 or more in the Visitor Centre (food, beverages, retail, or attractions), parking is completely free. This small contribution not only supports the safe running of the event but also helps us bring such an incredible spectacle back to the region – with hopes of making it an annual tradition once again.
We will have music by local legend Adam Daly on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday we will have Bobby Shanley playing all your favourites to add to the atmosphere. We will also have face painting Sunday afternoon from 4pm – 6pm.
Join us for this extraordinary celebration in the skies above Lough Key – a magical experience for all ages.
