How to Get Your Child a FREE Balloon Ride at the Spirit Of Boise

Want to treat your kiddos to a once in a lifetime experience before school? Bring them to the Scott Spencer Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic on Wednesday, September 1!

Wednesday isn't just the first day of the 30th balloon classic, it's also CapEd Credit Union Kids’ Day! This year we expect about twenty balloons to inflate at Ann Morrison Park that morning. It's the one morning of the balloon classic where the pilots don't plan to leave the park and that's because they want to give Treasure Valley kids a real taste of what ballooning is all about! On Kid's Day, your little ones are invited to jump into the basket of one of their favorite balloon to experience what a ride in a hot air balloon feels like!

Don’t worry parents, these rides are what the balloon pilots call a “tethered ride.” Your kids won’t be floating off into the blue skies over Boise. The balloons are tied to the ground with strong ropes to prevent them from floating away.

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You’ll also be able to take all the photos of your kiddos posing with the balloons that you’d like. Depending on weather, the first inflation takes place around 6:45 a.m. and pilots will continue until the pilots run out of fuel.

Parents are reminded that to participate in Kid's Day your child must be able to sit in the basket on their own without parental assistance and exercise patience as the free tethered rides happen on a first come, first serve basis. This is event happens weather permitting

Michelle Heart, Townsquare Media

Once the Spirit of Boise gets underway, launches happen Thursday-Sunday. Weather permitting, you'll see the balloons in the sky shortly after. If you're really lucky, you might get to see one close up when it lands.

There's no steering in a hot air balloon, so pilots will literally fly their balloons where the wind takes them. During the Spirit of Boise, it's not unusual to see one landing on a playground or dipping down to "kiss" the Boise River.

When I flew with Lori Spencer (the event's organizer) she landed our balloon in the bed of the pick-up truck that was following us to take the balloon back to it's trailer at the park. It was a cool experience and Lori's one of the best pilots in the WORLD! If remember James Franco arriving to his Jimmy Kimmel appearance in the "Oz: The Great and Powerful" hot air balloon, Lori was actually hidden in the basket, helping to navigate it to a safe landing.

Help us end the summer at one of Boise's most beloved FREE family events! Get the complete schedule for Spirit of Boise 2021 HERE. This year we look forward to the flight, tribute launch to honor Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic founder Scott Spencer who lost his battle with cancer last year, Night Glow Spectacular and Dawn Patrol launches.

Dawn Patrol is something that hasn't happened at the Spirit of Boise in the last 11 years. This is when the pilots launch at the first sign of sunlight so they're high in the sky by the time the sun comes up!

Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic Flashback: CapEd Credit Union Kid's Day 2018

As we prepare for the 30th Annual Scott Spencer Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic, we're taking a walk down memory lane and looking at all the big smiles we saw in 2018! This year's CapEd Credit Union Kid's Day will be on Wednesday, September 1. See the complete Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic 2021 HERE.