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Sunny skies on tap for Memorial Balloon Festival, running Saturday through Monday

The 2022 First Fruits Farm Memorial Balloon Festival promises three days of rides, food, music and demonstrations, and of course the nightly balloon glow, to mark the holiday.

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LOUISBURG, N.C. — After severe weather canceled Friday's opening events, the 2022 First Fruits Farm Memorial Balloon Festival will pick back up as scheduled Saturday and run through Monday –– so Memorial Day weekend can still be full of high-flying family fun, as well a solemn thank you to fallen military heroes.

The festival at 832 Mort Harris Road promises three days of rides, food, music and demonstrations, and of course the nightly balloon glow, to mark the holiday. WRAL is a proud sponsor.

Spend the evening watching the skies. There will be a mass balloon ascension and veterans parachute team landing before sunset, followed by a balloon glow and fireworks.

Hot Air Balloon Glow at the Freedom Balloon Fest in Fuquay-Varina on Friday, May, 2024.
(Photo By: Beth Jewell/WRAL Contributor

Saturday is an all-day affair, with music ranging from swing to country to pipes and drums, food and demonstrations beginning at noon. Walk through a grounded balloon to get a sense of the scale and schedule your own tethered ride.

A full day of remembrance begins Sunday at noon and is highlighted by praise and worship with the Tommy Niemans Band and a 5K Suicide Awareness Walk. Spend some time in the memorial flag garden. Plant a flag and personalize it with names, scripture or a photo to remember you hero.

Monday is a short day as the balloons take off and a closing ceremony marks the Memorial Day holiday.

Tickets start at $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6 to 12. There are also opportunities to camp at the site starting at $175.

Thousands gather in Fleming Loop Park in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. on Friday, May 27th for the 2016 WRAL Freedom Balloon Festival. The festival included live music, food, games, rides in addition to 35 beautiful hot air balloons. (Photo By: Lexi Baird / WRAL.com)

First Fruits Farm is 1,000 acres of rolling hills, ponds, open pasture and fields where Jason Brown settled after a successful NFL career to give back to the community. During the 2022 First Fruits Farm Memorial Balloon Festival, it will be the home to a makers market, performance stage, beer garden, midway and, of course, balloon drop zones where pilots can showcase their skill.

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