Beginning at 7 a.m. on Thursday, June 5, 25 balloons are scheduled to enter the skyline around Helen, Georgia. Weather permitting, their ascension will mark the start of the annual Helen to the Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race & Festival.
Now in its 52nd year since local visionary Pete Hodkinson first started the race, Helen’s is the oldest balloon event in the southern U.S. It is also the only long-distance hot air balloon race in the country. To win, a team must be the first to cross I-95 in their balloon or be closest to the interstate by sundown on Friday, June 6.
This is a race of skill and knowledge. Hot-air balloons can only travel at the same speed and direction as the wind. Pilots understand that finding the correct altitude for the optimal speed is their best advantage to crossing the finish line first.
Event times and balloon field directions
Local balloon events will begin Thursday at 6 p.m. and continue into Friday and Saturday at 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. both days. Organizers say around 20 balloons will fly in these events. Flight times for the local events range from one to two hours.
The public is invited to attend the race launch and other festivities throughout the three-day event. General admission/parking is $20 per carload. Pedestrian admission is $1.
Race organizer Catherine Cleiman, who also manages the Helendorf River Inn, Suites & Conference Center, says general parking for the event has changed this year. Spectators will be required to take Chattahoochee Street to arrive at the public vehicle entrance (see map below). The entrance was reached in previous years by crossing the Brucken Strasse bridge. That entrance is now reserved for participating teams and media. Pedestrians may enter the balloon field from either entrance.
All ballooning activities are limited to mornings and evenings. No activities will be happening in the middle of the day.
