Shawnee is getting a sky full of color, live music and glowing night scenes next weekend as the FireLake Fireflight Balloon Festival returns to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation grounds. The two-day event is free to enter and mixes balloon launches with family activities, food trucks, vendors and evening entertainment. For anyone whose end-of-summer plans currently involve sitting somewhere with air-conditioning, this is a considerably more colorful option.
The festival runs next Friday and Saturday and is open to anyone, according to News 9. Organizers say the weekend is designed as a family event, with balloon attractions, music, shopping and food all gathered at the Shawnee site.
Free Admission Covers The Big Spectacle
Admission, parking, the live entertainment and the drone show are all free, according to the festival's official FAQ. Visitors should still bring cash for food, drinks, the vendor market, tethered balloon rides and Kids' Zone activities. A Kids' Zone wristband costs $10 and covers inflatables and carnival rides for the weekend, while the splash pad and petting zoo are free.
Balloon Glows, Concerts And A Drone Show Fill The Weekend
Friday's schedule starts with a 7 a.m. balloon launch, followed by vendors, food trucks, helicopter rides, tethered balloon rides and an Oklahoma Line concert. The evening lineup builds toward an 8:30 p.m. balloon glow and a 9 p.m. drone show, weather permitting, as detailed in the festival schedule. Saturday adds a 6:30 a.m. Fireflight 5K, a Touch-A-Truck event, more family activities and evening performances by Kaleb Austin and Austin Snell.
The festival is set at Raymond Peltier Park, 1702 S. Gordon Cooper Drive, on the Citizen Potawatomi Nation grounds. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation says the event will run from Friday morning through Saturday night, while the Visit Shawnee calendar describes it as a free, family-friendly outdoor event about 30 minutes east of Oklahoma City.
Commercial Flights Are Sold Out, But Tethered Rides Remain
The festival's commercial balloon flights cost $300 per person and are already sold out for 2026, according to the festival FAQ. Tethered rides remain available for $25 per person on a first-come, first-served basis, with no advance registration required. All balloon events are weather-dependent, and attendees should also know that the grounds use a clear-bag policy and do not allow outside food or pets, except for service animals.
