The skies above Arcadia, Oklahoma are set to fill with hot air balloons this week, including new additions shaped like a sasquatch and a family of raccoons, as the sixth annual Route 66 Balloon Festival kicks off this week and runs through Sunday. Organizers are treating this year's event as something bigger than a typical local fair: it celebrates the 100th anniversary of Route 66, and they're expecting a 30% jump in attendance, with crowds potentially reaching 15,000 to 20,000 people at Parkhurst Ranch.
According to KOCO, the festival isn't just an Arcadia affair this year. It starts in Joplin, Missouri, before passing through Kellyville, Tulsa, and Edmond on its way to the main gathering in Arcadia. Morgan Snipes, the event director for the Route 66 Balloon Festival, told the station the celebration now spans several stops along the historic highway.
New Balloons and Free Rides for Kids
Among this weekend's new arrivals are a sasquatch balloon and a set of raccoon-shaped balloons, adding to the festival's usual lineup of colorful shapes drifting over the ranch. The festival has scheduled multiple balloon flights every night, weather permitting, and offers tethered balloon rides for visitors who want a taste of flight without leaving the ground. Snipes said children 12 and under can take those tethered rides for free.
Beyond the balloons, Parkhurst Ranch itself has become part of the draw. Paula, known to regulars as Granny P and associated with the ranch, said the grounds will include a barnyard where visitors can pet animals, along with tree swings and ziplines for families looking to make a full day of it.
A Centennial Celebration
The festival celebrates Route 66's 2026 centennial.
That kind of official backing matters because Route 66 itself is turning 100 this year. The highway was officially designated in April 1926 and commissioned that November, stretching 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, and federal legislation passed in 2020 established a national commission to guide 2026 centennial commemorations across the eight states the road passes through, according to the Route 66 Centennial Commission.
Why Arcadia, and Why Now
Arcadia's centrality to the centennial isn't an accident of geography. Oklahoma has more driveable miles of Historic Route 66 than any of the other seven states it crosses, according to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. The town itself is already a fixture on the Mother Road, home to the Arcadia Round Barn, built in 1898 and later restored. Just up the road, POPS 66 features a 66-foot LED soda bottle sculpture and more than 600 glass-bottled soda varieties; its restaurant serves approximately 475,000 people a year, according to MetroFamily Magazine.
An independent commission awards grants for Route 66 revitalization, according to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.
