Summer’s send-off: five days of balloons, music and family fun in Gatineau
Gatineau will close out the summer with a five-day festival of hot air balloons, live music and family attractions, running September 2 to 6 at La Baie Park, just across the river from Ottawa. Organisers say the programme includes more than 20 hot air balloons, headline performances by Simple Plan, Smash Mouth and Half Moon Run, more than 30 food trucks and a long list of activities aimed at visitors of all ages.
The festival will stage balloon flights during morning and evening windows, weather permitting, when pilots typically launch to take advantage of calmer winds. Alongside the aerial displays, the grounds will host amusement rides, inflatable attractions, a mini-golf area and a designated Chill Zone for quieter family downtime. Rides require an additional access pass.
- Headline concerts: Simple Plan, Smash Mouth, Half Moon Run
- Balloon displays: over 20 balloons scheduled for morning and evening flights
- Family features: amusement rides, scavenger hunt, inflatable games, Chill Zone
- Other attractions: silent disco, fireworks and a wrestling gala
- Food: 30+ food trucks on site
The festival is marketed as family-friendly: children aged 10 and under are admitted at no charge. General admission for an individual to attend across all five days is listed at $80, with organisers noting current pricing reflects a savings before a future tier change. Attendees should be aware that some on-site attractions, specifically amusement rides, will require a separate access pass.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 2–6 |
| Location | La Baie Park — 988, rue Saint-Louis, Gatineau, QC |
| Admission | $80 per person for all five days; kids 10 and under free |
The festival’s proximity to Ottawa — La Baie Park is roughly a 10-minute drive from the capital — positions it as a cross-river attraction likely to draw both Gatineau residents and visitors from the broader National Capital Region. That geographic advantage typically helps boost attendance for weekend and evening programming, as people can combine a trip to the festival with other downtown activities.
For families and residents who want to plan a full day, organisers highlight the concentration of food vendors and on-site entertainment designed to keep visitors for extended visits. The addition of niche attractions, such as a silent disco and a wrestling gala, indicates an effort to broaden the festival’s appeal beyond visual spectacle and mainstream concert programming.
Local events of this scale also carry operational considerations for the city, including traffic management, parking, transit service adjustments and public safety deployment. Residents planning to travel through the area during the festival dates should expect increased traffic near La Baie Park and consult municipal updates for any temporary routing or parking restrictions.
Tickets and more detailed programming information are being distributed through the festival’s channels. Given the event’s mix of free and paid elements, families and individuals can tailor their visit according to budget and interest—whether attending the balloon displays at sunrise or evening, catching headline concerts, sampling food-truck offerings, or taking in the on-site amusements.
This year’s lineup, anchored by well-known acts from pop rock and alternative scenes, together with a substantial balloon presence and varied family activities, positions the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Fest as one of the larger seasonal events on the city’s late-summer calendar.
