The Porch Visits The Route 66 Balloon Festival

Many travelers often find fun ways to explore Route 66 in Oklahoma, but an upcoming festival is offering a new way to experience the Mother Road.

Organizers say the Route 66 Balloon Festival brings dozens of vendors and multiple hot air balloons to Midpoint Corridor, which stretches across most of central Oklahoma along Route 66.

"Midpoint Corridor is something we started a year ago, it's 100 miles between Edmond and Sapulpa," festival cofounder Ed Goechenour said. "We're just looking for a signature event to have. There used to be a huge balloon festival in Indianola, Iowa, everyone's aware of the Albuquerque one... we believe we can bring that same kind of deal here."

Goechenour said the plan is to grow the festival ahead of the Route 66 centennial in 2026. The festival is scheduled for Sept. 20-22.

"It's going to be a signature event, not only for Route 66, but for Oklahoma," Goechenour said. "Our ticket sales have already gone really good so far for us. We haven't really got out to marketing it yet, but a lot of out-of-state enthusiasts [are] coming in. There's a whole balloon world out there, apparently."

Goechenour said the festival will have 75 to 100 vendors, food trucks, 15 to 20 balloons, kites and helicopter rides.

Morgan Snipes, one of the pilot's operating the hot air balloons, said in addition to viewing the balloons, the festival will also offer tethered rides aboard the balloons.

"The the flights themselves are sold out, we're we're going to try to add a couple more bigger balloons," Snipes said. "We can do hundreds of those in an evening."