🎈 Great Smoky Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival
- Wine tasting experience
- Hot air balloon launches
- Family-friendly
- Fundraiser for fire dept and elementary school
- Outdoor event
The 8th Annual Great Smoky Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival is coming back to Townsend on August 15, 2026, and it is such a perfect family outing for late summer. This is more than just balloons - it's a fundraiser for the Townsend Volunteer Fire Department and Townsend Elementary School, so your ticket does good work.
The day starts at 3pm and goes until 9pm under the open sky (rain or shine - balloons are weather dependent, obviously). You get to sip your way through Tennessee wine country with the Sip TN Wine Experience, which means samples from 12+ Tennessee wineries, hard ciders, and meads. There are reusable 6-pack bottle bags included with admission, and if you want to buy more bottles to take home, you can.
Who needs to go: - Families with kids who will absolutely lose their minds at the sight of hot air balloons (even the non-drinking adults will be mesmerized) - Wine lovers who want to see what Tennessee wineries have to offer - Anyone looking for a really lovely evening out in Townsend - the balloons float against the Smoky Mountain sunset backdrop, which is just the kind of photo moment you want
Important note: The wine tasting requires 21+ with valid ID. If you bring younger kids, they get to enjoy the balloons and general festival atmosphere while the adults can rotate between the wine experience and keeping an eye on the kids.
Pro tip: This is outdoor event, so bring sunscreen, bug spray, and maybe a small blanket or lawn chairs to sit on. The whole evening is family-friendly and you can enjoy the balloon launches without any pressure to participate in the wine tasting.