2026 Labor Day Weekend: Huge, Free Hot Air Balloon Festival and Big Concerts in Anderson, SC

9th annual Rising Above Cancer hot air balloon festival and Celebrate Anderson to take place in Anderson, SC over Labor Day Weekend – and it’s free!

There’s certainly something magical about a giant balloon floating peacefully in the vast air, without care and just being beautiful. You can see those and tons more at the Hot Air Affair: Rising Above Cancer Anderson hot air balloon festival on Labor Day Weekend 2026. The festival is only about 40 minutes from Greenville, SC. 

Plus, on Sunday evening, Celebrate Anderson is also bringing a huge, FREE concert with Yacht Rock Schooner to the stage, plus a massive drone and fireworks spectacular to celebrate Anderson County’s Bicentennial!

These are both happening at the same time, but some things are different, like the kids’ zone areas, so read on.

Important Information – Read This

If you want to go see the balloons and read anything from this story, let it be this: the balloons only fly in the morning and evenings and only when the weather is favorable. If you go at Noon and expect see hot air balloons, you’ll be disappointed. The full schedule is below.

If you read anything about the concerts and remember one thing, let it be this: the concert with Celebrate Anderson is free but you need a ticket, which you can get here.

There is no entry fee for either event, no tickets required for the kids’ zone (except for one activity at the Hot Air Balloon festival), no admission for the live music and all the fun. If you want to get up in the air, you can purchase a hot air balloon ride if the weather is favorable. Keep reading for that info.

About the Hot Air Balloon Festival: Anderson, SC

This festival is the largest hot air balloon festival in the Upstate and more than 30,000 people are expected to attend. It will be held at the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center and includes three days of family-friendly fun. 

Some fun facts about the festival: 

• 40+ Hot Air Balloons
• 50+ Vendors and Crafters
• Multiple Food Trucks
• Games and Activities for the Kids
• Live Music
• Celebrate Anderson will have a free Sunday night concert with Yacht Rock Schooner (with support from Winyah) plus a Bicentennial drone and fireworks finale

About the Cancer Association of Anderson

The Cancer Association of Anderson is a very small nonprofit in Anderson that supports local cancer patients. They raise all their funds by themselves so this is an important event to raise awareness for the organization and provide funds for them to do their important work. 

They use their funds to lessen the burden on Anderson County residents who are battling cancer by providing financial, physical, and emotional assistance.

I talked to Angie Stringer, who works for the Cancer Association of Anderson and is the event director, about how the festival was conceived. She was a cancer patient herself when she worked for Anderson County about ten years ago and had just come out of chemotherapy feeling beat up and exhausted. 

“I went outside and saw a hot air balloon floating in the air. It was then that I came up with the idea of ‘Rising Above Cancer.’” 

That was seven years ago and Angie is in remission. She still adores hot air balloons. 

In previous years, The Kids Zone at the balloon festival had activities like a free petting zoo with face painting, face painting ($), a trackless train ($5/ticket), the Creation Station that is geared more towards special needs children but open to all kids, the Anderson City Fire Safety House, princesses and superheroes, a dunk tank that will be there during limited hours ($), ball toss, plinko games, cornhole, and other outdoor games. Details about the Kids Zone have not been released for 2026, but we expect something very similar.

There are flights and tethers from 6-8 pm and the balloons do a Glow, which is basically lighting up the balloons from the inside using the propane. It looks so neat!

Guests are welcome to come to the festival up to an hour before the balloons are supposed to take place to see the inflation process. This happens in the field across from where all the vendors are located. There will also be some special ballooning competitions happening. 

Food and vendors will be there every day of the event. The full schedule is available on the festival’s website.

About Celebrate Anderson

This festival has been going on for over 28 years and has been a community event to celebrate the city of Anderson.

I took my daughters to see Martina McBride a couple of years ago at the Celebrate Anderson event, and it was fantastic! We all love country music, and I grew up on 90s country, so seeing her was really special.

For 2026, Sunday night features headliner Yacht Rock Schooner with support from Winyah! The show closes out with a massive drone and fireworks extravaganza commemorating Anderson County’s Bicentennial — the best view is from the balloon launch field. Tickets are free, but you must reserve them at andersonevents.com. Outside food and drinks are not permitted; alcohol is available in designated areas.

Information TBD for 2026: There will be a Kids Zone at Celebrate Anderson. They will also have multiple food trucks at the concerts, where you can get food and drinks all evening. No outside food or beverage is allowed, and no backpacks or small bags are allowed either. The venue is also cashless.

Booking Your Own Balloon Ride

There will be opportunities, depending on the weather, to ride in a hot air balloon. They are being offered apart from the festival due to insurance, but at the same location. 

We do list the pilots that will give rides. Rides are $350/per passenger in 2026. Flights are about an hour. About a dozen pilots will be doing flights, and money is paid directly to them. The Hot Air Affair Facebook has the direct link to book.

There will also be tethered rides. Those rides were around $25/person in 2025. These rides will happen only in the morning and evening and will be sold at the informational tent for the festival. Additionally, balloons will only fly in the mornings and evenings, depending on the weather, generally between 6-8 am and 6-8 pm.

What It’s Like to Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

Last year, we rode in the Discovery with pilot Derrick, and it was incredible! I am scared of flying normally and was terrified right when we took off and saw the ground get smaller and smaller pretty fast, but once we were floating, it was really peaceful and fun. I felt totally safe, and my kids absolutely loved it.

The weather was so perfect, and we got to see for miles out to the mountains and Lake Hartwell. The thing about balloons is that you can’t steer them, and they go with the wind, which means you won’t be landing where you took off from. Each balloon has its own chaser car that follows the balloon in the air and then goes to retrieve it (and the passengers) when it lands.

So where do the balloons land? Anywhere they can that is safe. We were looking for a flat, grassy area away from powerlines and livestock, and ended up landing in a lady’s yard. She was really nice and let the pilot and his team get the balloon taken down and all packed back up in the giant bag, and we headed back to the festival. It was the coolest thing!

If you want to book your own flight, use the Fare harbor link listed on their Facebook page. Derrick has been flying in a hot air balloon since he was two years old, and his dad runs Carolina Balloon Fantasies out of Easley. You can book a flight with him. This would be an incredible date night or birthday gift!

Tips on Enjoying the Festivals

As always, be prepared ahead for the festival by reading over these few short rules: 

• Please no outside food or drinks. 
• Well-behaved pets on leash are welcome, and owners must clean up after them.
• Blankets and chairs are welcome at the Hot Air Balloon Festival and only at the concerts if you have a lawn ticket.

The festival will happen rain or shine, but safety always comes first with balloon rides, and they are completely weather dependent. Basically, don’t promise your kids that they’ll be able to ride in a balloon or see them in flight. If bad weather moves in, you’ll only have tantrums to deal with, and well, that’s no fun. Make it a surprise! 

Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center
3027 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Anderson, South Carolina
Rising Above Cancer Hot Air Balloon Festival
Celebrate Anderson

Looking for more things to do over Labor Day Weekend? We have a whole list for that!
Celebrate Labor Day near Greenville, SC