Schedule of Events
Kids Fair Inflatables
Purchase a $5 wristband at the Kids Area Ticket Booth for unlimited fun on various inflatables!
Sponsored by Defiance Dental Group
Biggby Best Pancake Breakfast
Join us to watch the balloons fly-in while eating fluffy pancakes and sipping on delicious Biggby coffee.
Free will donation.
Sponsored by Biggby Coffee & Strausbaugh Family
Justin the Clown
Get FREE balloon animals made by Ohio’s favorite red-nosed clown, Justin the Clown!
Sponsored by Women’s Giving Circle
Morning Tethered Balloon Rides
Take a ride up in the sky while still tied down to the ground. Enjoy the view of the whole festival while experiencing the wonderful feeling of floating in the sky! We will have two balloons running to offer rides on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be a limited number of rides.
Ages 13 & Older: $20
Ages 12 & Under: $10
Ages 2 & Under: FREE
Sponsored by North Western Electric
Touch-A-Truck
Have you ever wanted to sit in the seat of a fire truck? Or revisit your school days exploring a school bus? Well, that’s exactly what Touch-A-Truck is! See all those favorite “untouchable” vehicles up close and personal.
Free with admission.
Sponsored by Keller Trucking
Touch-A-Tractor
Bring the kids out to see tractors, combines, and other fun farm equipment for the Touch-A-Tractor portion of our event. See all those favorite “untouchable” vehicles up close and personal!
Free with admission.
Sponsored by Defiance County Farm Bureau
Food Vendors
There’s nothing better than some great food truck food! We are excited about our lineup! Check back to see if any of your favorites have been added.
Please bring cash! Credit card services are not guaranteed!
Food Vendors:
Aqua Ice: Creamy Italian Ice
Big Daddy’s Sausage House & More: Hot and mild Sausage, Hotdogs, Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Fried Baloney, Fresh Cut Fries, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Chips , Pop
Crumbl Cookies Pop-Up: United Way will be selling Crumbl Cookies at the festival. Stay tuned for a list of flavors!
Eric’s Ice Cream Factory: Ice Cream, Sundaes, Floats, Milkshakes
Fatboyz by Al & Zoe: Chicken Wings, Chicken Strips, Fish, Shrimp, Lobster Bites, Fries, Mozzarella Sticks, Okra, Mac and Cheese Bites, Fried Pickles, Fried Mushrooms
Island Popping Kettlecorn: Freshly popped kettlecorn, caramel corn, & cotton candy
La Michoacana Foods: Tacos, Burritos, Tortas, Tamales, Quesadillas, Fruit Cups, Mangonadas
Stoked Wood Fired Pizza: Wood fired pizza with various toppings
Susie Lynne’s Lemonade: Old Fashion State Fair Lemonade Shakeups with 20 different flavors!
The Bagel Buggy: Variety of Steamed Bagel Sandwiches, Chicken tenders, Homemade Mac & cheese with Pulled Pork or Buffalo Chicken Fries, Deep Fried Pretzel Bites, Tanner Wrap (Tenders, Fries, Mac & Cheese, Ranch in a Wrap), Mozzarella Sticks, Iced Tea
The Saucy Slamwich: Grilled Cheese, Ham Grilled Cheese, Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese, Brisket Grilled Cheese, Nashville Hot Grilled Cheese, Cuban, Reuben, Cheesesteak, Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Tenders, Fries, Loaded Fries, Onion Rings, Soda
Travelin Tom’s Coffee and Beverage Truck: Lattes, Macchiatos and Frappes for the coffee lovers, Tilt Nitro Energy Drinks, Refreshers, Chai Tea, Matcha and Hot Chocolate
Willow Lane Kitchen: Loaded Tots, Loaded Mac & Cheese, Smash Burgers, Assortment of Fried Items
World Famous Tornado Potato: Tornado Potatoes, Ribbon Fries, Straight Cut Fries, Hot Dogs, Chili Cheese Dogs, Cheese Sticks, Deep Fried Pickles, Jumbo Pretzels, Cheese Curds, Deep Fried Mushrooms, Gatorade, Flavored Water
Petting Zoo & Pony Rides
Enjoy Petting Zoo animals like rabbits, goats, alpacas or buy a ticket for a pony ride for $3 at the Kids Area Ticket Booth!
(There will be no poultry animals in consideration of farm workers)
Sponsored by Midwest Community Federal Credit Union
Kids Fair Inflatables
Purchase a $5 wristband at the Kids Area Ticket Booth for unlimited fun on various inflatables!
Sponsored by Defiance Dental Group
Marketplace
Do some shopping and check out our marketplace area of the festival with over 25 vendors! You can find tons of goodies from permanent jewelry, homemade crafts, accessories, clothing, sweet treats, and more!
Character Appearances
Meet Spiderman & Ariel from Laurel’s Characters & Co. at this year’s festival!
Sponsored by State Bank
Live Music
Enjoy some live entertainment from John Reichle & G-Men!
Sponsored by Mercy Health
Justin the Clown
Get FREE balloon animals and airbrush tattoos from Ohio’s favorite red-nosed clown, Justin the Clown!
Thank you Women’s Giving Circle for sponsoring!
Evening Tethered Balloon Rides
Take a ride up in the sky while still tied down to the ground. Enjoy the view of the whole festival while experiencing the wonderful feeling of floating in the sky! We will have two balloons running to offer rides on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be a limited number of rides.
Ages 13 & Older: $20
Ages 12 & Under: $10
Ages 2 & Under: FREE
Sponsored by North Western Electric & Wesbanco
Evening Balloon Flight
The balloons will launch from the Defiance County Airport for the final flight of the day around 7 PM. Don’t worry, they will return for the main event, the Balloon Glow, at 9 PM!
This event is weather dependent.
Balloon Glow
Once the sun sets, the festival concludes with all of the hot air balloons lining up to twinkle and glow! It’s a beautiful sight that you won’t want to miss.
Sponsored by General Motors
Children’s Pedal Pull
Bring children up to age 12 out to to participate in this fun challenge to see how much weight they can pull!
Cost: $4 per child
Classes for the pull are: 25-43 pounds, 44-59 pounds, 60-75 pounds and 75-100 pounds.
Registration will start at 5:00 PM and the Pedal Pull will start at 5:30 PM.
Thank you to Tinora Young Farmers for sponsoring and putting on this event.
Morning Hot Air Balloon Flight
Enjoy the beauty of the hot air balloons flying in or over the Defiance County Airport (weather permitting).
Justin the Clown
Get FREE balloon animals made by Ohio’s favorite red-nosed clown, Justin the Clown!
Thank you Women’s Giving Circle for sponsoring!
Kids' Area
Inflatables - Kiddos will have a blast for hours on our inflatables.
Cost: most inflatables are FREE. Meltdown and Leaps & Bounds require a wristband. Wristbands can be purchased at the United Way of Defiance County tent. Wristbands are $5 each.
Petting Zoo & Pony Rides - With an oink and a moo and a cock-a-doodle-doo, head on over to the petting zoo!
Cost: 1 ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the United Way of Defiance County tent. Tickets are $3 each.
Thank you to It Takes Heart Ohio for sponsoring this portion of the event.
Bouncin’ Around Inflatable 5k Run and 1 Mile Walk
Family fun 5k on the airport property with inflatable obstacle courses for your fun, laughter, and bouncin’ around!
All ages, fitness levels, and strollers are welcome!
If you don’t feel like bouncin’ and just want to enjoy the view, we still have our 1-mile walk at the same time to watch the hot air balloons fly over the airport (weather-dependent).
Charge up or recharge with a cup of coffee or pancakes (free-will donation).
Thank you to Mercy Health and Midwest Community Federal Credit Union for sponsoring this portion of our event!
Cost to participate in walk/run:
$30 (ages 9+) for 5k
$20 (ages 4-8) for 5k
$15 for 1-mile walk
4 and under FREE (no t-shirt)
Beer Garden
Sponsored by City Beverage. Ages 21 and over can enjoy a cold one while listening to live music and enjoying the view.