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Fields of Flight

🎈 Fields of Flight – Hot Air Balloon Night at the Orchard 🎈

✨ Saturday, September 12 – Council Bluffs scenic Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard

Get ready for a truly unforgettable evening as colorful hot air balloons rise over the apple orchard and light up the night sky! 🌅

🍎 With live music, delicious food, and breathtaking views, this is one night you won’t want to miss.

🎶 Event Highlights:

  • 6:00 PM – Balloon Flight (weather permitting)
  • 5:30–9:30 PM – Live Music by RAVEN
  • ~7:40 PM – Balloon Glow at Dusk (weather permitting)

FAQ – All You Need to Know

🚗 Parking & Tickets:

  • $40 per car – Admission included (only ONE ticket needed per vehicle!)
  • Prepaid parking tickets available online only – limited quantity!
  • No walk-ins – carpooling encouraged.
  • Free shuttle/tram service from parking areas.
  • Non-refundable – this is a benefit for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

💳 Payments:

  • Orchard accepts Visa/MasterCard for purchases over $5.
  • No ATM on site – cash is fastest! (Some vendors may only take cash.)

🎈 Balloon Rides:

  • Spectator event only – no private or tethered rides.

🌤 Weather:

  • Balloon flights are weather dependent – pilots decide about 1 hour before launch.

✨ What’s a Balloon Glow?

  • At dusk, pilots fire up their propane burners to light the balloons while they remain on the ground – it’s magical and camera-worthy! 📸

🍔 Food & Drinks:

  • No outside food, drinks, or coolers.
  • Orchard Café favorites + food vendors (yes, apple cider doughnuts!)
  • Beer, wine, hard cider, pop, water, and apple cider available.

🐾 Pets:

  • As much as we love them, pets must stay home.

🚻 Restrooms:

  • Porta potties available (indoor restrooms closed).

🪑 What to Bring:

  • Chairs, blankets, bug spray – be comfy and prepared!

🍎 Orchard Activities:

  • U-Pick closes at 3:00 PM to allow tractors for shuttle service.
  • Apples available for purchase in the store.
  • Playground open for kids during the event.

Mark your calendars, grab your friends, and come enjoy an evening of music, food, and hot air balloon magic – all for a great cause! 🎈❤️

Fields of Flight

🎈 Fields of Flight – Hot Air Balloon Night at the Orchard 🎈

✨ Friday, September 11 – Council Bluffs scenic Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard

Get ready for a truly unforgettable evening as colorful hot air balloons rise over the apple orchard and light up the night sky! 🌅

🍎 With live music, delicious food, and breathtaking views, this is one night you won’t want to miss.

🎶 Event Highlights:

  • 6:00 PM – Balloon Flight (weather permitting)
  • 5:30–9:30 PM – Live Music by The Project Architects
  • ~7:40 PM – Balloon Glow at Dusk (weather permitting)

FAQ – All You Need to Know

🚗 Parking & Tickets:

  • $40 per car – Admission included (only ONE ticket needed per vehicle!)
  • Prepaid parking tickets available online only – limited quantity!
  • No walk-ins – carpooling encouraged.
  • Free shuttle/tram service from parking areas.
  • Non-refundable – this is a benefit for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

💳 Payments:

  • Orchard accepts Visa/MasterCard for purchases over $5.
  • No ATM on site – cash is fastest! (Some vendors may only take cash.)

🎈 Balloon Rides:

  • Spectator event only – no private or tethered rides.

🌤 Weather:

  • Balloon flights are weather dependent – pilots decide about 1 hour before launch.

✨ What’s a Balloon Glow?

  • At dusk, pilots fire up their propane burners to light the balloons while they remain on the ground – it’s magical and camera-worthy! 📸

🍔 Food & Drinks:

  • No outside food, drinks, or coolers.
  • Orchard Café favorites + food vendors (yes, apple cider doughnuts!)
  • Beer, wine, hard cider, pop, water, and apple cider available.

🐾 Pets:

  • As much as we love them, pets must stay home.

🚻 Restrooms:

  • Porta potties available (indoor restrooms closed).

🪑 What to Bring:

  • Chairs, blankets, bug spray – be comfy and prepared!

🍎 Orchard Activities:

  • U-Pick closes at 3:00 PM to allow tractors for shuttle service.
  • Apples available for purchase in the store.
  • Playground open for kids during the event.

Mark your calendars, grab your friends, and come enjoy an evening of music, food, and hot air balloon magic – all for a great cause! 🎈❤️

Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival 2026

Balloons launch Friday and Saturday Evening 7 PM

Gates open at 5:00 pm to give spectators an early glimpse at the hot air balloons as pilots assemble them for their flights. (Weather Permitting)

First, the pilot and crew spread the colorful canopy out across the grass and connect the balloon envelope (canopy) to the gondola. Balloons are inflated with giant fans. Then the pilot ignites the burner forcing hot blasts of air into the balloon canopy, which causes it to rise. Remember your early science lessons – “Hot Air Rises.” Part of the romance in ballooning, is not knowing exactly where the air currents take you. Balloon pilots navigate by ascending and descending the balloons into different air currents, but they are incapable of actually “steering” the balloon into a precise location and can land miles from their launch site. Chase crews follow the balloons to their destinations as the balloons rarely land where they launch.

The Nebraska Balloon & Wine Festival is the First Showcase of its kind and will be similar to other Balloon & Wine Festivals around the country which have become successful including those in the Temecula Valley, California and Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.