Balloon Festival Schedule

The Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the Pahrump Balloon Festival March 7-9. A number of activities are offered during the event. Here is a schedule so you can plan your activities.

Chamber CEO Mike Dreyer said some of the events “are pretty spectacular” or “really cool.”

Friday — Kick-off party, 4 p.m. in the Pahrump Nugget parking lot. There will be four balloons tethered and inflated for a “Glow Show” beginning at dusk. The show will be the balloons lighted and timed to music provided by the Nugget. Audience bleachers will be set up and food will be available as well.

In Petrack Park, Davis Amusements will have what Dreyer is calling a “mini carnival,” which will be open from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the gate.

Saturday — The Lions Club will be serving a pancake breakfast at Petrack Park starting at 5 a.m. The balloons will take off at 6:45 a.m. from fields B and C. Dreyer said organizers will attempt to get as many in the air at once as possible and the spectacle should be breathtaking.

Tethered balloon rides will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the cost of $10. The carnival will be open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Dreyer said there are 44 vendors signed up to take part in the festival. Seven are food vendors and the Chicken Ranch will have a beer and wine booth.

There will be entertainment from bands, and a DJ. There is another vendor offering “Walk on Water.” Dreyer said it is filled with water and looks like a “hamster wheel for humans. It’s pretty cool.”

Sunday — Another pancake breakfast at 5 a.m. is on tap, but the balloons won’t launch until 7:45 a.m. The hours for tethered balloon rides are the same as Saturday and the vendors will be there until 4 p.m. The carnival will open at 10 a.m. and close “when the fun stops.”