Venue
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada
International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu guide
Mass balloon launches beside the Richelieu.
In short
L'International de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu fills nine August days with morning and evening flights and concerts on three stages. The main launch, often more than a hundred balloons, usually lifts off around 6 pm if the wind allows. Official 2027 dates had not been announced by October 2026, so plan two visits.
L'International de montgolfières de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is a hot-air balloon and music festival held for nine days every August in a town on the Richelieu River, south-east of Montreal. The festival site is Parc Pierre Trahan, beside the municipal airport, and on a good evening more than a hundred balloons lift off from the field together.
It began in 1984, when the local chamber of commerce, tourism office and economic council looked for a summer event to bring visitors to the Haut-Richelieu region. It is now counted among the five largest festivals in Quebec and drew around 400,000 visitors in 2010.
Balloons are only half the programme. The organisers bill it as a music and balloon festival, with three stages of concerts, special-shape balloons such as the mascot Piko, and evening events on the field once the launches are done.
–/5
No reviews yet
Been to this event? Your review helps other travellers.
Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Sunday, 15 August 2027
Where: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada
Venue: Parc Pierre Trahan
Held: Every year
Type of event: Leisure Events, Cultural Events, Community Events
Currency: Canadian dollar (CAD, $)
Time zone: Eastern Time, UTC-5 (UTC-4 in summer)
Language: French
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Tickets and arriving early for the evening launch
Plan around the flight windows.
- Tickets
- buy through the festival's official Billetterie page.
- Arrive early
- the evening launch draws the biggest crowds, so reach the field well before 6 pm.
- Morning flights
- quieter and often calmer for flying, if you can face an early start.
- Check updates
- follow the festival's channels for flight cancellations on the day.
Sun, cool evenings and rain gear
Days are warm but evenings cool once the sun drops.
- Sunscreen and a hat for afternoons on open ground.
- A light jacket or fleece for after dark.
- Rain gear: August brings thunderstorms.
- Insect repellent for evenings by the river.
Where and how it is celebrated
The main cities where the festival is celebrated.
What happens on the day
- Morning
Early flights
Balloons launch at first light when the wind allows.
- Afternoon
Site and stages
Family activities and concerts on the festival grounds.
- Around 6 pm
Mass launch
More than a hundred balloons can lift off together.
- Evening
Concerts
Music continues on the stages after the launch.
Visiting from Montreal or staying in Saint-Jean
Most visitors from outside Quebec fly into Montreal and treat the festival as a day or evening trip, or stay a night or two in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu itself. Driving is the simplest option; allow extra time on launch evenings, when traffic builds towards the site.
If you can, go on two different days. Wind can ground every balloon on a given evening, and a second attempt gives you a much better chance of seeing a mass launch. For more of the country, see our Canada travel page.
The festival's 1984 origins and growth
The festival was created in 1984 by the chamber of commerce, tourism office and economic council of Haut-Richelieu, who wanted a summer event that would bring money into the region. The flat land around the municipal airport made Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu a natural place to launch balloons.
By 2010 it ran on a budget of about 8 million Canadian dollars, with an estimated 16.5 million dollars in economic benefits, and attracted around 400,000 visitors. Concerts grew alongside the flights, turning a balloon meet into a nine-day music and balloon festival.
Getting there
Flying in
Montréal–Trudeau International Airport is the nearest international gateway.
By car
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is about 40 km south-east of Montreal by motorway; expect queues near the site on launch evenings.
From the town centre
The festival field sits beside the municipal airport on the edge of town.
Where to stay during the festival
Staying in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu puts you close enough for morning flights, but rooms are limited during festival week. Montreal has far more choice and suits evening visits.
Book early either way: August is peak season in Quebec.
Weather and what to pack
Environment Canada 1991-2020 normals for Montréal–Trudeau give August an average high of 25.7°C and a low of 15.6°C, with about 94 mm of precipitation over 11 days and around 245 hours of sunshine.
Expect warm afternoons, cool evenings and the chance of thunderstorms that can ground the balloons.
Worth packing
- A light jacket for evenings
- Sunscreen and a hat
- Insect repellent
- A compact rain jacket
- A folding chair or blanket for the field
- A camera with a zoom lens
Car hire in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Airport transfer to International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Parc Pierre Trahan.
Contribute:
Recently viewed events
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Be the first to ask
Our team answers questions here
Explore Canada
Other festivals around the same time
Festivals held in the same weeks, if you want to plan more than one.
09
Dec, 2026
Dec, 2026
Leisure Events, Cultural Events, Community Events
Doha, Qatar
15 photos
20
Jul, 2027
Jul, 2027
Live Events, Cultural Events, Arts Festivals
Montreal, Canada
12 photos
01
Oct, 2027
Oct, 2027
Live Events, Leisure Events, Cultural Events
Albuquerque, United States
13 photos
Save time: create a trip and get offers from locals
Tell us where and when you want to go, and local travel experts send you offers for your trip.
1 Create a trip
2 Get offers from locals
3 Pick the one you like
Create a trip
Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Timing & weather
Over nine days in August, Friday to the following Sunday. The 2025 edition ran from 8 to 17 August and 2026 from 7 to 16 August. Official 2027 dates had not been published by October 2026.
There are morning and evening flights. The main mass launch is usually around 6 pm, when more than a hundred balloons can take off. All flights depend on wind and weather.
Flights are cancelled when winds are too strong or storms are near, sometimes at the last minute. The concerts and other site activities usually carry on, so a grounded evening is not a wasted ticket.
Booking
More than 100 balloons take part in the main launches. The festival's 2026 balloon list named 53 crews and special shapes alongside the regular fleet.
Around 400,000 visitors came in 2010, which places it among the five largest festivals in Quebec.
General
Parc Pierre Trahan in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, next to the town's municipal airport, which gives the balloons an open field for take-off.
Piko is the festival mascot, flown as a special-shape balloon. Special shapes are a highlight for children and photographers.
Yes. The festival describes itself as a music and balloon festival and runs concerts on three stages through the nine days.
It was first held in 1984, set up by the Haut-Richelieu chamber of commerce, tourism office and economic council to draw summer visitors.
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is a French-speaking town and most announcements are in French, but staff in tourist areas generally manage English. A few words of French are appreciated.
The best known is the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico each October, which is considerably larger.
