The Canowindra International Balloon Challenge is a spectacular event that turns the sky into a fiesta of colour with vibrant hot air balloons reaching up into the sky.
Each year, the sky bursts to life when all of the hot air balloons take flight in the completion and commercial flying, and it is unlike anything you have ever seen!
Canowindra International Balloon Challenge 2025 Dates, Program & Tickets
Balloon Challenge Competition
Every year, pilots from all over Australia and overseas gather at Canowindra to enjoy the challenge of the sport of competition ballooning, colouring the sky over this amazing landscape.
Weather permitting, the balloons will launch daily soon after sunrise. The launch sites for the pilots competing in the challenge will vary depending on the wind direction. Fiesta pilots (not competing) will usually launch from the Canowindra Sports Ovals.
When you are out, enjoy watching the balloons decorate the sky and landscape. However, keep your eyes on the road and pull over in a safe place well off the road if you want to watch the action.
The competitive events in a balloon competition are called tasks. The Competition Director can specify several tasks for each flight. The tasks for a particular flight are determined before the flight commences after assessing the weather and various other factors.
Competition flights require pilots to exercise skill in manoeuvering their balloons over a set course of tasks with goals, targets, scoring areas, time and distance limits. The pilot steers the balloon by utilising the wind currents at hand. Generally, the wind will vary in direction and speed at different altitudes. By climbing or descending into these layers of air, the pilot can manoeuvre the balloon onto a preferred line of travel towards their targets.
Cabonne Community Balloon Glow
The Cabonne Community Glow is the signature event of the Canowindra International Balloon Challenge. It is an amazing, family-friendly spectacle that should not be missed and will occur on 3 May 2025.
To be held at the Canowindra Sports Oval, the 2025 event will be headlined by 15 hot air balloons. They will inflate just after sunset and then light up like giant 20-metre-high lightbulbs, synchronising their lights to a mix of the best music over the last 20 years. It is a spectacle you will never forget.
It’s not all about the balloons, though. They also have a range of local food and wine offerings for you at the Cabonne community night markets that will tempt you to eat and drink more than you should. Bring a blanket, pick a spot on the green grass and enjoy the afternoon.
This experience includes Night Markets complete with Food and Wine Stalls, Live Music, Entertainment and the highlight of the evening, the Cabonne Community Glow – a magical experience where you’ll see hot air balloons lighting up their burners synced to all-new music under the beautiful evening skies in the Central West. The glow from the balloons is spectacular and will leave all who attend with great memories for years to come.
This is all for only $12 per adult and $5 for under 13s (plus booking fee). There is no charge for children under five.
The 2025 event promises to be an amazing spectacle, with balloons lighting up the night sky at the Cabonne Community Glow.
Come along and support this fantastic regional event.
Home Ground Sounds – Furnace & the fundamentals and more
Get ready to experience an unforgettable night of music, dancing, and pure fun as the Canowindra Balloon Challenge, in conjunction with Roundbox Events, presents a night to remember.
Arrive early to grab a spot near the stage and enjoy delicious food and drinks from our vendors. This event is family-friendly and suitable for all ages.
Come and join us for an evening of music, fun, and memories that will last a lifetime. We can’t wait to see you there!
Furnace and the Fundamentals, Big Night Out, and two more artists are to be announced.
Bring your own chairs, NO BYO Alcohol, No Glass to enter grounds. Full licenced bar onsite. Please wear appropriate shoes. We recommend flats.
There will be food vendors on site, or pre-order yourself a grazing platter from Canowindra IGA deli.
Canowindra International Balloon Challenge is organised by Canowindra Challenge Incorporated (CCI), a community organisation that was created in 2010.
Canowindra is a small but strong rural community situated in the picturesque and fertile Belubula Valley, a three-and-a-half-hour drive west of Sydney, New South Wales. It has a long history of hot air ballooning, dating back to the first modern hot air balloon flight in Australia in 1966.
This event will take place rain, hail, or shine. Some weather may be too unsafe to inflate the balloons, but the Entertainment and Night Markets will still go ahead. Please feel free to bring chairs as long as they are low to avoid people being unable to see behind you. Even better, bring a picnic blanket.
The Candowindra International Balloon Challenge is a visually spectacular experience that all visitors will surely enjoy.
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