Creston/Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days

04/16/2026

Official Announcement: The News is OUT! 🎈📻

If you were tuned into KSIB Radio 101.3 FM & KOOL 102.1 FM yesterday, you already heard the big secret! For those who couldn't listen in, we are officially ready to share the massive news for this year’s Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Races in Creston!

For the first time ever, we are extending the event to a 4-DAY EVENT! 🚀

🗓 SAVE THE DATES: Thursday, Sept. 17 – Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026
📍 LOCATION: Creston, IA

What does an extra day mean for you?
✨ More Flying: More opportunities for our hot air balloon pilots to take to the skies.
✨ Night Glows: More chances to experience the magic of the balloons lighting up the Iowa night.
✨ Community Vibes: Extra time for you and your family to interact with the pilots and get up close with these giants.
✨ Stay Updated: We have even more surprises in the works!

A huge thank you to everyone who tuned into KSIB Radio 101.3 FM & KOOL 102.1 FM to help us kick off this announcement. And the Creston Chamber of Commerce for all they do to support the event! We are so excited to bring more magic to Southwest Iowa this September!

Make sure to FOLLOW this page and turn on notifications so you don't miss the full schedule reveal! 📢

04/15/2026

🎈 BIG NEWS IS TAKING FLIGHT! 🎈

Set those alarms ⏰ and tune your radios 📻 to KSIB 101.3 at 9:45am!

We’ll be spilling ALL the details about the exciting changes coming to Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days in 2026 👀

You won’t want to miss what’s rising on the horizon! 🌅🎈

👉 Tune in. Get excited. Spread the word! KSIB Radio 101.3 FM & KOOL 102.1 FM

03/31/2026

10/21/2025

Congratulations to the Gebhart and Thompson families! Way to bring home No. 1

For the first time ever, an Iowa pilot has won the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

10/16/2025

Carol Hunt Sherman originally from Creston has designed the Creston/SW Iowa Hot Air Balloon Day logo for the T-shirts for many years.
She shares the following: I usually don’t go over on my tshirt designs…but, this one, I am incredibly happy with.the colors, the design. It just works for me.
Thank you to the Creston Chamber of Commerce for giving me this opportunity.

10/03/2025

Check out these great photos from Iowa Skyview Photography from 2025 Balloon Days. More on the website @ https://iaskyviewphotography.com/2025-09-20-creston-balloon-days?fbclid=IwY2xjawNMutBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFjczVGTnhzcldqSFl6UnluAR7u_DpLq1IcSzLH5LZGLy4MCLl21SN5MJj3KtzDXdC2Wf4cetmqhqnRIuQT9g_aem_fxog_f--A6mdlUTFoMDjqg Lots of great videos and photos!

09/30/2025

PCSB Bank shares photos from last weekend's hot air balloon days! Their pilot is Grant Pfeifer. Thanks for sharing!

09/29/2025

Still have a few more balloon day photos! These were taken by Chuck Spindler! Thank you for some great shots!

09/29/2025

Photo shared by Tanja Zambaras. Thank you!

09/29/2025

Here are a few more awesome photos from Balloon Days courtesy of Linda Buxton!

09/26/2025