Kanab Balloons and Tunes Roundup
Friday, February 19, 2027 – February 21, 2027 · All day
Kanab, Utah
Kanab fills with hot-air balloons for three mornings each February, in what has become the largest balloon gathering in this corner of Utah. It is about an hour and a half east of St. George, and it is the most reliable place in the region to watch a mass ascension without booking a flight.
What actually happens
The balloons launch at first light, all three mornings, from the old Coral Cliffs golf course on the west side of town. Dawn is when the air is coolest and stillest, which is the only window a balloon pilot gets in this terrain — so the ascension is an early start rather than a leisurely one.
Main Street carries the rest of it. A vendor fair runs through the middle of the day on the Friday and Saturday, with live music alongside it, and there is a lantern launch on the Friday evening.
The Saturday balloon glow is the one to plan around if you can only make one thing. The balloons stay tethered on Center Street after dark and fire their burners in sequence, which lights the envelopes from inside. It is a completely different spectacle from the morning flight, and it happens at a civilized hour.
Watching it well
You do not need a ticket to watch. Balloons are visible from most of town once they are up, but the launch field is where the interesting part happens — crews unrolling envelopes, cold-inflating with fans, then the burners. Getting there before the launch is worth more than getting a good spot afterward.
Dress for a February morning at 5,000 feet. Kanab sits high enough that a dawn in February is genuinely cold, and you will be standing still on an open field. The day warms up quickly once the sun is over the rock, which catches people who dressed for the afternoon they were promised.
Nothing is guaranteed. Balloons fly only when the wind allows, and a morning can be scrubbed on the field with the crews already there. That is normal, and it is why the festival spreads its launches over three mornings.
Getting there from St. George
Kanab is about ninety minutes east on Highway 89, through Hurricane and past the turnoff for Zion's east side. It is a straightforward drive and a spectacular one, but a dawn launch means leaving St. George in the dark — many people make it an overnight rather than a day trip, and the town's accommodation books up for this weekend well ahead.
If you would rather fly than watch, see hot air balloon rides in St. George for how ballooning works closer to home.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Kanab Balloons and Tunes Roundup?
It runs over three days in February, with a balloon launch on each of the three mornings. Dates shift year to year, so confirm before booking a room.
Is the Kanab balloon festival free to attend?
Watching costs nothing — the launches, the vendor fair on Main Street and the evening balloon glow are all open to anyone. Riding in a balloon is a separate arrangement with the operators.
Where do the balloons launch from?
The former Coral Cliffs golf course on Fairway Drive, on the west side of Kanab. The launch field is where the setup and inflation happen, which is the part most spectators find worth the early start.
What is a balloon glow?
A static display: the envelopes are inflated and anchored, and the pilots fire in sequence so each one lights up from inside like a lantern. No one leaves the ground. Kanab stages its glow on Center Street on the Saturday.
How far is Kanab from St. George?
About ninety minutes east on Highway 89. A dawn launch means leaving in the dark, which is why many visitors stay overnight in Kanab rather than driving out and back.
What happens if it is too windy to fly?
The flight is called off, sometimes after the crews have already laid the envelopes out. Pilots will not launch into wind they cannot land in, and there is no appeal — which is the reason to treat any single morning as optional rather than the thing you drove out for.
What should I wear to a morning launch?
More than you think. Kanab sits around 5,000 feet and a February dawn on an open field is cold, even though the same day warms up fast once the sun clears the rock.
Address
755 Fairway DrKanab, UT 84741