Visit the quirky festival in a desert far, far away.
An imposing tail lurks over the roof of residential houses in Reno , Nevada , in the anatomy of a sorting of round body with appendages , a tail end , and — is that a cowpoke hat ? Looking up expose it ’s a gigantic blue armadillo , dressed as a sheriff , in the mannikin of a hot air balloon — and he ’s not alone . There ’s also a UFO , an elephant , and a heavy Tweety dame head amongst thehundred or so colorful balloons satiate the sky .
This spectacle is the typical scene at the annualGreat Reno Balloon Race , a three - day event each September ( 9–11 this year ) in Reno ’s Rancho San Rafael Regional Park . As the gateway city ofBurning Man , Reno is the perfect off - musical rhythm stage for such a odd gathering . It ’s not just your typical electric light - regulate hot air balloon ; there ’s also a spicy air fish , hot air sheep , live air Panthera tigris , jumbo high-flown sloth on an inflated tree limb , Smokey the Bear , a clock with a shady - looking aspect , and a giant inflated Darth Vader head that just looks a bit weird without his body .
Keeping Reno Weird
“ ‘ Keep Reno Weird ’ is a pretty vulgar matter to discover , and it ’s something you’re able to experience and take superbia in when you ’ve been here a while , ” says Ben McDonald , longtime field resident and Director of Communications of the Reno Tahoe tourism chest of drawers . “ biotic community events and the outdoors get strangers together to experience and lionise our conflict . ”
As the cosmos ’s largest freehot aviation balloon case , the Great Reno Balloon Race now attracts 120,000 visitor each twelvemonth from all walks of life . It began in 1981 with just twenty balloons as a sort of “ filler event ” in between the State Fair and the Reno Air Races , but evolved over the decades to be a festival on its own . As its popularity grew , more and more balloon pilots father wind of it — some piloting quirky aircrafts , like Michael Celentano and his “ Sheriff Airmadillo . ”
“ It appeal visitors and buffer from all over the earthly concern , ” articulate Charles Harris , president & CEO of Reno Tahoe . “ One of the serious parts about this effect is the love and local support . It ’s genuinely a biotic community tradition where visitors are pay for to snuggle up with the sunrise and then become part of the consequence , assisting pilots on the priming coat to get the balloons in flight . ”
The Great Reno Balloon Race
The early bird catches the Super Glow Show
One of the highlighting of the event is called Dawn Patrol , when attendees get to see the hot air balloons uprise from the primer coat as they blow up — as long as they ’re awake for it . The balloons take flight of steps at 7 am , when break of the day conditions are typically favorable , so Dawn Patrol is literally at dawn , around 5 am . To better wait on those who may be half asleep at this clock time , there ’s the pre - sunrise Super Glow Show each dawn , in which a few of the hot air balloon oscillate above the commons and serve as a beacon in the dim , daybreak sky with a flashing light show typeset to music .
Sitting out with a blanket or chairman is one way to feel it all , but for a fee ( $ 110 ) , you may grease one’s palms very important person ticket to the Cloud 9 panjandrum Club — a het up tent in the middle of the soil serving a catered breakfast , coffee berry , and even crashing marys and buck’s fizz . While the balloon festival pride itself in costing nothing to the world-wide public , proceeds from Cloud 9 tickets and panjandrum parking passes aid keep the event free to the community .
“ We are more than just a ballooning event . We work with a multitude of charities in the community , ” says Pete Copeland , Executive Director of the Great Reno Balloon Race . “ For example , we have a 30 - year relationship with Washoe County School and The Children ’s Cabinet . We like to give back to the residential district . ”
Uladzik Kryhin/Shutterstock
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Then watch the balloons try to hit a target
At 7 in the morning each day , The Great Reno Balloon Race begins as each balloon squad hops in their respective basket when they ’re primed to found , and drop their sandbag to resurrect up into the sky . However , it ’s not a race about speed ; it ’s about navigational truth to aviate to different object on the ground , where a giant X literally check off each smirch .
“ Because balloon have no steering wheel , the pilots navigate to the target by finding different direction winds at different altitudes , ” says Allen Anderson , Chief Competition Officer of the raceway . “ The competitor are given a bean bag [ a “ marker ” ] with a prat on it as a scoring gimmick . This marker is dropped or thrown at the target area . The closest bag wins that task . ”
With increasing urban growing these days , it ’s harder to physically score the dry land with an XTC , so GPS tasks have been insert . Balloon pilots navigate to special coordinates and then just push a clit to strike down a virtual mark . However , it ’s easier said than done . Balloons are always at the whimsy of winds , and sometimes they inadvertently linger over residential houses so close that team can see what multitude are watching on television . think seeing that out your kitchen windowpane .
Neil Lockhart/Shutterstock
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See some other trippy sights
As the winds disperse the balloon across the part until they descend rather anticlimactically , so does the public interest to stare up at the sky . In fact , the Cloud 9 VIP tent is over by 9:30 am . The balloon event itself lingers until 11 am with tethered balloon ride for child , and concessions of food , drink , and souvenirs at “ Balloon Boulevard . ” But that does n’t mean the sport or weirdness are over . Outside Reno ’s Rancho San Rafael Regional Park , there ’s much more to do in this way-out “ Biggest Little City in the World . ”
“ It ’s nose ring and dreads , falling off and bow affiliation , and Harleys and tattoos all at the same mesa , ” say McDonald , describing his hometown vibe .
For a little more action than watch out hot aura balloons , head toSierra Adventuresfor a drive up the Truckee River , to be adrift in an inner tube right back into downtown Reno . For the daring , there ’s theGuinness World Records’tallest artificial climbing wallon the side of theWhitney Peak Hotel , rising 16 tale above Reno ’s iconic “ Biggest Little City ” arch . If dressing up is more favorite than climbing up , there ’s theJunkee Clothing Exchange , an almost obligatory stop on the way to Burning Man , where many Burners stop in to get their eclectic outfit for the Playa .
Being the closest urban center to Burning Man , a mint of creative , tangible remnants of Black Rock City are on lasting display in Reno , include the imposing Desert Guard by Lu Ming , one stoppage on the outdoorPlaya Art Trail . For more out-of-door art , there ’s the self - guidedMural Expoof street graphics , launch downtown and midtown . The exemption of esthetic expression can also be found indoors at theNevada Museum of Art , which also has some Burning Man works , plus there ’s theReno Tahoe International Art Showat the Reno - Sparks Convention Center — coincidently the same weekend as the groovy Reno Balloon Race .
The Great Reno Balloon Race
The Great Reno Balloon Race
