The Winthrop Balloon Roundup, also known as the Winthrop Balloon Festival · Saturday Evening · Past Years
For years, vintage hot air balloons from Seattle Ballooning and fellow pilots inflated along the streets of downtown Winthrop and lit up from within. In 2027 the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce has taken over the event. Those balloons will not be there. Whether a glow happens at all is a question for the Chamber.
← Read What ChangedWhat the Balloon Glow Was
The Winthrop Balloon Glow was the Saturday evening centerpiece of The Winthrop Balloon Festival. As daylight faded over the Methow Valley, three vintage hot air balloons were inflated along the streets of historic downtown Winthrop, Washington, and lit up from within each time a pilot fired the burner.
The glow was put on for free by the pilots. Because the glow area is a narrow downtown street, Seattle Ballooning, Balloon Depot, and Snohomish Balloon Ride hauled over old antique envelopes instead of the balloons that flew each morning. Seattle Ballooning helped organize which balloons would glow each year.
This year, the balloon pilots and the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce could not agree on how the event should be run. The Chamber has taken it over as its own official event. Seattle Ballooning, our balloons, our glow balloons, and our ride flights will not be part of it.
Whether the Chamber's 2027 event includes a glow, and with what balloons, is a question for the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce. We are not involved and cannot answer for it. If the glow is your reason for the trip, ask the Chamber what is confirmed before you book.
The People Behind the Glow
The Winthrop Balloon Glow happened because a handful of volunteer balloon pilots chose to show up.
Every pilot who participated hauled a balloon over the pass at their own expense, inflated it along the streets of downtown Winthrop, fired the burner for the crowd, and stayed through the entire evening. No one was paid to be there.
The result was an evening built almost entirely on goodwill. Pilots who love to fly, a town that loved to host them, and thousands of visitors who came from across Washington to watch the balloons glow against the winter sky for free.
The Winthrop Chamber of Commerce provided propane and coordinated closing the main street. The spectacle itself, the six-story balloons, the burner roar, the warm light spilling across the snow-covered boardwalk, existed because the pilots wanted to be there and brought the balloons.
In 2027 the Chamber has taken over the event as its own. The pilots who brought the glow balloons, Seattle Ballooning among them, will not be there. The open, pilot-run gathering that made the glow possible is over. A new open winter festival closer to Seattle, run by pilots for pilots, is in the works. Follow Seattle Ballooning and we will let everyone know.
A Rare Sight
The Winthrop Balloon Glow was not just a spectacle. It was one of the only events in the world where you could watch some of the oldest surviving hot air balloons inflate and glow right in front of you. The envelopes at the glow dated back to the earliest era of modern sport ballooning, and several of them are among the oldest airworthy balloons on the planet.
Most hot air balloons flying today are purpose-built modern sport envelopes. The vintage balloons at the glow were a different thing entirely: heavier, shaped differently, and carrying the particular character of an era when ballooning in America was still new.
These are the balloons that glowed in Winthrop in past years. None of them will be at the Chamber's 2027 event.
A 1965 envelope built by Don Piccard, a pioneering figure in American ballooning whose designs helped define what a hot air balloon looked like in the sport's formative years.
A 1972 Yost balloon from Snohomish Ballooning. Ed Yost is widely regarded as the father of modern hot air ballooning. An envelope bearing his name from 1972 represents the craft at one of its most important moments of development.
Balloon Depot brought a 1973 Piccard to round out the roster. Three antique envelopes, three operators, and decades of shared history, all inflated on the same street on the same evening in downtown Winthrop.
What Past Years Looked Like
This is how the glow ran in past years. Seattle Ballooning cannot publish a 2027 schedule. Confirm the date, time, location, and whether a glow is planned at all with the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce.
For Photographers
A balloon glow is one of the most photogenic events you can shoot. These tips apply to any glow, including the new winter festival we are planning closer to Seattle.
The burst of light from a burner is bright and brief. Use burst mode or continuous shooting so you catch the peak of the glow. On manual, start around ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/60s and adjust from there. The light changes fast.
Get low and shoot upward to emphasize the scale of the balloon against the darkening sky. Being close to the balloon when the burner fires gives you the most dramatic glow. The crowd around the balloon adds great foreground context.
Wide angle (16–35mm) lets you capture an entire balloon with people around it for scale. Telephoto (70–200mm) is great for isolating the glowing fabric pattern. Try compressing the background to frame a balloon against the town lights.
With a tripod, long exposures can capture multiple burner firings in a single frame and create layered glow effects. Try 4–10 seconds and start your exposure in the pause between firings, then let the burner fire mid-shot.
Some of the best glow photos are not of the balloons at all. They are of people's faces lit orange by the glow, or silhouettes against the lit envelope. Look for children's expressions, couples, people reaching up toward the fabric.
If you spot a vintage balloon, look for seam details, patches, and the way older fabric diffuses light differently than modern materials. These balloons have real character that rewards a close look through a telephoto lens.
Common Questions
That is a question for the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce, which has taken over the event and is running it as its own. Seattle Ballooning is not participating, and our vintage glow balloons will not be in Winthrop. Contact the Chamber for dates and whether a glow is planned.
The balloon pilots and the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce could not agree on how the event should be run. The Chamber has taken it over as its own official event. Seattle Ballooning, our balloons, our glow balloons, and our ride flights are not part of it.
Yes. In past years the glow was completely free. The pilots were volunteers, the street was public, and the glow was open to everyone. Confirm with the Chamber what it plans for 2027.
The balloons at the glow dated from the 1960s and 1970s, the early era of modern hot air ballooning, and are among the oldest still-flying envelopes in the country. They were brought by Seattle Ballooning, Snohomish Balloon Ride, and Balloon Depot. None of them will be at the Chamber's 2027 event.
In past years the glow ran from 5:00 to 6:45 pm on the Saturday of festival weekend, with inflation beginning around 5:00 pm. Arriving early gave you the best spot and let you watch the inflation process.
In past years, Seattle Ballooning set up a basket at the front of the street so anyone could step inside and take photos, free of charge. That will not be part of the 2027 event.
Seattle Ballooning is creating a new winter festival closer to Seattle: an open event for pilots, run by pilots, with the same any-pilot-welcome format that made Winthrop what it was. Follow Seattle Ballooning and we will let everyone know as soon as details are confirmed.
Seattle Ballooning flies year round from our home field in Enumclaw, Washington, in front of Mt. Rainier. The Great Prosser Balloon Rally and the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede are both summer events in Eastern Washington.
The glow was one part of the open, pilot-run gathering that Winthrop used to be.
The Chamber has taken over the event. Seattle Ballooning is not attending, and only a few balloons are expected. Read what changed and what comes next.
Read What Changed →