Calgary Balloon Club

The next big Alberta balloon festival is coming up quick!

Help us fill the skies with colour this September! Our hot air balloon festival returns to High River September 23 to 27, 2026, and we’re looking for sponsors to help bring the event to life.

This festival is only possible through the support of local businesses, organizations, and community partners. Sponsorship opportunities are available for a variety of budgets and involvement levels.

Visit our website https://heritageinninternationalballoonfestival.com/ or message us to learn more about becoming a sponsor.

Before modern inflation fans became common and powerful, cold inflations sometimes required a little extra help — and a little extra bravery. As Dennis Myrthu recalls from the early days of ballooning, crew members would stand inside the mouth of the balloon during inflation, holding the fabric open to help create a larger pocket of air before the hot inflation began. These volunteers earned the memorable nickname “Cremation Charlies.”

Dennis remembers being volunteered for the job while Stan operated the burner, “If you get too hot, lower your arms and I will stop burning and let you out.” Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, those instructions were forgotten. Dennis recalls that he lowered his arms, his face felt like it was on fire, and he eventually collapsed to the floor before crawling out for fresh air. He adds that it was both his first and last experience as a “Cremation Charlie.”

Ballooning has changed a great deal over the years, but the stories from those early days remain unforgettable.

Fresh on the heels of the Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival, we just found out that Calgary Balloon Club pilot Scott Gordon has just officially earned his Flight Instructors rating for Hot Air Balloons! Scott has been flying balloons since September of 2021 and in addition to flying with the club has helped to organize and run the Arizona Balloon Classic for the past three years. His two favorite places to fly from are the cricket field in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada and Hespero, Alberta. Congrats Scott. We are super excited for you.

If you have ever dreamed of learning to fly a Hot Air Balloon and float above the landscape, we can help you! The club is a Transport Canada Flight Training Unit. We have the instructors to teach you and we even have a bright yellow Sundance 90,000 cubic foot rental balloon that members have access too.

You can send us a message here, check out our web page at www.calgaryballoonclub.ca or send us an email to learn about how to get started.

Well. Thats a wrap for Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival 2026. Folks are making their way home and for a lot of us its back to "regular" life tomorrow.

Although there was no flight this morning, it was still a special briefing. Balloon Meister Dale Ritchie handed out the prizes to the pilots who did the best following him in the hare and hound competition. Club member Cliff Skocdopole won third place!! Congrats to Francois Doucet and David Gleed for second and first place.

After the brief, club members Jonathan Perron-Clow from Ontario and P-A from Quebec recieved their basket banners from 2026 Club President Karl Schultz . If you hadn't heard, you dont need to be from Calgary to be a member of the club! We have members from all over Alberta, BC, Ontario, Quebec and even the United States.

What an incredible weekend. Thanks to the Rise Up crew, W***y Taillon and Cindy Taillon, Our Collective Journey and all the Sponsors.

Saturday morning flight from Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival 2026. Lots of Calgary Balloon Club pilots and their beautiful balloons.

Tonight was the opening night for Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival 2026 and it was a hit! Calgary Balloon Club members and Rise Up organizers W***y and Cindy Taillon were awarded the Emerging Leader award from the Aero Club of Canada and club member and Rise Up Balloon Meister Dale Ritchie was awarded the Joan Martin award by the Canadian Balloon Association.

We can't wait to see how the next few days shape up.

Calgary Balloon Club, Chief Pilot Shane had an awesome city flight this past holiday Monday. Joining him were club members Brant and Jagger. From an amazing sunrise launch, to a soft landing just on the outskirts of the city, it looks like it couldn't have been much better conditions for this flight.

Thanks Shane for allowing us to share your adventures.
Cameron Balloons Western Canada



Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival is this week! With that we are already starting to see non-local participating pilots and their crews starting to show up! The excitement is building.