April 25, 2019. Louisville, KY. – The BB&T Kentucky Derby Festival Great Balloon Glimmer, scheduled to glow tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront, has been cancelled due to inclement weather. It will not be rescheduled.
The next events on the BB&T Great BalloonFest schedule include the BB&T Great Balloon Rush-Hour Race at 7 a.m. tomorrow at Bowman Field; the BB&T Great Balloon Glow returns to the Kentucky Exposition Center at 9 p.m. tomorrow night; and the BB&T Great Balloon Race on Saturday, April 27, also at Bowman Field. (For the races, the public will need to enter the field off Pee Wee Reese Road.)
The Rush-Hour race offers a beautiful view to those fighting traffic on their way to work. Balloon Glow spectators are encouraged to come out early (gates open at 6 p.m.) and make an evening out of it. At 9 p.m., the balloon pilots will fire their burners, making the balloons glow against the night sky synchronized to a musical score provided by 106.9 PLAY. The event will also be broadcast live on WLKY on MeTV Louisville 32.2. On Saturday, April 27, a field of 25 balloons will take flight from Bowman Field in the oldest portion of the balloon events, the Great Balloon Race.
Since the first Great Balloon Race was held in 1973, the Derby Festival’s balloon events have been considered among the best in the country by pilots from all around the world. BalloonFest attractions are annually among the most popular family-friendly events on the Derby Festival schedule.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Great BalloonFest is sponsored by BB&T with Contributing Sponsor Amazon. Official Charity Partner is Kosair Charities. Q103.1 is the Media Sponsor of the Balloon Glimmer. 102.3 Jack FM is Media Sponsor of the Rush Hour Race and Great Balloon Race. 106.9 PLAY is Media Sponsor of the Great Balloon Glow. WLKY TV is the TV broadcast partner for the Glow.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
