All Montrealers have come to associate the city of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu with its emblematic hot air balloon-filled skies. This year, the city’s International Balloon Festival took place from August 7 to 16, 2026, with daily morning and evening balloon flights, as well as live music, food, and amusement park rides.
However, on Saturday, August 15, the evening skies of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu looked a little different. Towards 5 PM, the scheduled start of the evening balloon flights, “Montgolfières en direct” shared that wind direction wasn’t looking very promising. Some time after 6, three balloons were flown for a test run. After a while, the balloons stagnated, failing to cross the Richelieu river. At this point, I, along with the huge crowd of people on camping chairs and picnic blankets, assumed that it was over: one hour on the road for just three balloons (and some much appreciated music playing in the background since the start of the festival). Little did we know, a few minutes later, our hot air balloon experience would turn into something truly exclusive.
The International Balloon Festival clearly knows that most of the crowds it attracts every summer are there for the hot air balloons. Without the balloons, the “International Festival” becomes any other Montreal summer festival, and who would want to drive one hour for something they can find right downtown? And sure, balloon flights make for amazing photos, but that’s about it. The balloons travel so far and high so quickly that, within a few seconds, they become mere dots of colour in the sky.
Maybe the wind on August 15 decided that hot air balloon flights were due for an upgrade. Maybe St-Jean-sur-Richelieu simply wanted to show off their forty-something other balloons. Whatever the reason, for the first time in the history of the festival, thousands of festival-goers were given permission to cross the rope barriers surrounding the launch field and walk straight up to the dozens and dozens of hot air balloons that were inflated and held to the ground. Within minutes, the barren field was filled to the brim with colour and people. Spectators crowded balloon baskets, watching in awe as flame-shooting burners operated by professionals lit up the night like flickering fireflies. Some half-inflated balloons were even turned into photobooths, giving eager families the chance to step inside an actual hot air balloon envelope. For me, the sheer size of the towering balloons was enough to make my St-Jean-sur-Richelieu experience truly magical. I mean, I don’t think everyone gets the chance to see a giant sloth up close every day, let alone a giant giant sloth made of fabric…
Will “ground balloons” become the new attraction at the International Balloon Festival? Probably not, but they did make for a well appreciated alternative balloon experience.
This year’s Festival International de montgolfières Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ended August 16. For more info on next year’s festival, check HERE.
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