Southeast Wisconsin gets its first-ever Balloon Glow this Thursday, August 27, when tethered hot air balloons light up the night sky over the Waukesha County Expo Center from 5 to 9 p.m. The event is free to attend and will feature food trucks, live music, local vendor booths, and kids' activities, with the balloons themselves scheduled to illuminate at dusk.
The inaugural gathering grew out of a new partnership between Discover Brookfield and Fox Communities Credit Union, according to TMJ4 News. Fox Communities Credit Union is serving as the presenting sponsor, and the credit union has hosted similar balloon glows in the Fox Valley area for more than 10 years, per the same report. Discover Brookfield, which serves as the official tourism department for the Town of Brookfield, co-organized the event alongside the Greater Brookfield Chamber of Commerce, according to the Greater Brookfield Chamber of Commerce.
Carol White told the station that the balloons will be tethered and will glow at dusk. Erin Guenterberg, who partners with the station to highlight low-cost or no-cost events and activities all summer long, said the event is beautiful to watch and suitable for the whole family, per the station's report.
Why a Fox Valley Credit Union Landed in Waukesha
Fox Communities Credit Union's presence at the event follows its broader push into Waukesha County. The credit union opened a Brookfield branch as part of a statewide footprint that exceeded $3 billion in assets and 140,000 members across 23 Wisconsin locations in 2026, according to Urban Milwaukee. Founded by paper mill workers in Combined Locks in 1937, the institution invested over $1.2 million into local communities and logged more than 10,000 volunteer hours in 2025 alone. Hoodline previously reported on the credit union's push into Waukesha County with two new branches.
The credit union has run similar events elsewhere in the state, including the Lakeshore Balloon Glow in downtown Manitowoc, which raises funds for downtown beautification projects. Bringing that model to Waukesha fits a pattern the credit union has followed for years in northeast Wisconsin communities like Appleton and Manitowoc.
A Growing Venue for Big Regional Events
The Waukesha County Expo Center, located at 1000 Northview Road, spans 135 acres of outdoor grounds alongside more than 40,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, giving it room to accommodate tens of thousands of visitors for outdoor festivals. The same grounds also host the annual Waukesha County Fair.
The venue has increasingly drawn major regional events away from denser Milwaukee County sites. Greek Fest moved to the Expo Center in June 2026 after 20 years at Milwaukee County's State Fair Park, a shift Hoodline covered when Greek Fest left Milwaukee for the county's larger indoor and outdoor grounds.
Weather Will Decide If Balloons Fly
Organizers caution that the Balloon Glow depends on weather conditions, and they recommend checking Discover Brookfield's Facebook page for day-of updates. Tethered balloon glows are extremely sensitive to surface wind conditions, generally requiring calm winds under 8 to 10 mph and clear skies, since inflated balloons act like massive sails when tethered near the ground, according to Rainbow Ryders.
Commercial hot air balloon pilots are required under Federal Aviation Administration regulations to hold Lighter-Than-Air pilot certifications, perform detailed pre-flight weather evaluations, and maintain strict minimum clearance distances over crowds, per Rohr Balloons. Wisconsin has hosted balloon gatherings for decades, including the Hudson Hot Air Affair, established in 1990 as the Midwest's premier winter balloon festival, and the annual Taste 'N Glow Balloon Fest in Wausau.
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