The Moffat County Balloon Festival is returning for its 13th year on Aug. 4, bringing a variety of activities along with the stunning visuals of hot air balloons.

The festival, taking place at Loudy-Simpson Park in Craig, is a major draw for tourism in the area. Past years have seen as many as 3,000 visitors, from places as far as Grand Junction and Wyoming, filling out hotel bookings and bringing their business to the festival and surrounding areas.

Balloon launches will take place across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, starting at 6:30 a.m. in the morning as weather in the area permits. The launches on Saturday will be followed by a full day of events that stretches well into the evening.

One of the most popular parts of the event is the Cardboard Boat Regatta, which features participants attempting to float their boats across a body of water.

“What’s great to watch is the titanics,” said organizer Tony St. John, commenting that the event was always a lot of fun to watch.

In addition, the festival will offer 11 food vendors and around 24 retailers from around the area. There will also be a wide range of activities, including a 5K, a classic car show, bouncy houses, the Northwest Colorado Health Duck Race, a beer garden, and horse wagon rides. There will also be live entertainment throughout the day with the headliner being Those Crazy Nights, a Journey tribute band.

Saturday’s events will end with a balloon glow at 8:30 p.m. should the weather permit. St. John described the event as “beautiful to watch” as all the balloon pilots tether to the ground and light their burners, lighting up the area.

St. John also mentioned that he would like to “thank the merchants of the city of Craig and corporate for their sponsorships and bringing our 13th annual Balloon festival to Craig.”

More information about the festival, as well as the full schedule of events, can be found at https://www.mcballoonfestival.com/schedule.

Editor’s note: This report has been updated to reflect that balloon launches will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting at 6:30 a.m., weather permitting.