Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival
WATCH a hot-air balloon show: balloons from several countries, display and tethering, with a shopping expo, food court and music.
01 · How to take part
Your way in
Buy an entry pass for the carnival (children under 12 enter free); balloons are displayed or tethered at dusk when the weather allows; there is no free flight, and tethered rides are limited and cannot be pre-booked.
Watch the balloons and browse the carnival
Hot-air balloons from several countries are displayed or tethered at dusk, in a carnival with a shopping expo, food court, kids' games and music. It is a spectator show: there is no take-off, and limited tethered rides depend on the weather.
- You build or use
- WATCH a hot-air balloon show: balloons from several countries, display and tethering, with a shopping expo, food court and music
- Participation
- Watch & buy local
- Entry and deadlines
- Spectator festival: an entry pass is needed for adults; balloon display and rides depend on weather and the pilot's decision
- Where
- Tamil Nadu (2026: Jallikattu Grounds, Coimbatore; the venue changes between editions), India
02 · Dates
Dates and deadlines, Jan 2026 to Dec 2027
Usual timing: January. Dates are only shown where a source publishes them; everything else is marked TBC.
- Jan 2027 · date TBCTamil Nadu International Balloon Festival 2027 (dates not announced; held in January in recent years)2027 dates not announced. Earlier editions were in January (2026: 15-18 Jan). · source
Already passed this season: 15–18 Jan 2026: Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival 2026, 11th edition (past).
03 · Skills you'll need
Skills you'll need
What to learn and practise before you go. Each resource is marked Official or Community-accepted and names its publisher. Difficulty and prep time are our estimate.
Reading a balloon-festival programme: carnival hours, the balloon display and weather-dependent tethered rides
Also useful:
- Planning a spectator trip around an entry pass, a show window and a weather margin
Difficulty and prep time are Curiosta editorial estimates for a first-timer, not organiser figures.
Refresher
- It is a spectator festival: balloons from several countries are displayed or tethered, with a shopping expo, food court, kids' games and music.
- The balloon show and tethered rides depend on the weather; the organiser says rides cannot be pre-booked and are limited.
- Children under 12 enter free; adults need an entry pass from the organiser's site.
- The 2027 edition is not announced: earlier editions were held in January, and the 2026 edition (11th) was 15-18 Jan in Coimbatore.
Practise before you go
- Read the organiser's page for the venue, carnival timing and the visitor rules before you travel.
- Plan to arrive in the afternoon: the balloon show is in the early evening.
- Keep a spare day if you want a second chance at a weather-dependent show.
Safety notes
- Follow the organiser's staff around balloons and tethering areas.
- Balloon display and rides can be cancelled for weather: do not rely on a single evening.
- Check the organiser's page for the latest visitor rules before you travel.
Resources
Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival
Dates, venue, carnival and balloon-show timings, tickets and visitor rules for the latest edition.
Publisher: Tamil Nadu International Balloon Festival (organiser)
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu Tourism)
Official state guide to Coimbatore, the 2026 host city: what to see and how to plan a trip around the festival.
Publisher: Tamil Nadu Tourism Department (official government site)
Sister site: Sport context, safety and where to learn: Kinetic on recreational flying
04 · Check before you go
What we could and couldn't confirm
Before you book
- The 2027 dates and venue are not announced yet. The 2026 festival was the 11th edition, 15-18 Jan, at the Jallikattu Grounds, Coimbatore.
- Children under 12 enter free; adults need an entry pass. Balloon display and tethered rides depend on the weather and the pilot's decision, and rides cannot be pre-booked.
- The organiser's site says the 2026 festival was organised with the support of the Department of Tourism, Tamil Nadu.
- Costs are not listed on Nomad. Check them, and the latest dates, on the official site.
05 · Links
Official and source links
All links open in a new tab. Every fact on this page is logged in sources.md.
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