Want to win four free tickets to the 2017 Red River Balloon Rally? To enter this giveaway, just e-mail cjay@sbctb.org with the subject line “Look up in the sky” by 12 p.m. on Friday, July 7. We’ll randomly select a winner and will notify the winner via e-mail. The approximate value of this ticket package is $48. Only one entry per e-mail address, please! Tickets will be mailed to the winner.

The Red River Balloon Rally is coming back to the campus of Louisiana State University in Shreveport, July 14-15, 2017. Like the popular 2016 event, the upcoming rally will include two nights of live music, balloon glows, tethered balloon rides, a kid’s play area and more. Gates open at 4 p.m. both days. Live music headliners include for KING & COUNTRY, who will perform at 7:45 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. (two sets) on Friday, and Rodney Atkins, who will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The full schedule of events as well as ticket prices, parking info, rules for entry and other details can be found on the official event website. You can also keep up with timely updates from the festival by liking their Facebook page and RSVPing to this Facebook event for Friday and this Facebook event for Saturday.
The Red River Balloon Rally comes at the tail end of the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship, which will be held, July 11-16, in the skies over Shreveport and Bossier City. If you’re a local who enjoyed seeing the balloons in 2016, you may want to mark your calendars for these dates and make some time to spend watching the skies. According to a press release from organizers, the championship event will feature “43 of the best balloon pilots in the country competing against each other throughout the week.” That’s a lot of hot air balloons!
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys lending a hand, the hot air balloon folks are also still seeking volunteers – click here for more info on how to get involved.
By the way, while we’re entering to win things: The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau is giving away a prize package valued at $800 that includes tickets to Sci-Port Discovery Center, shopping at the Louisiana Boardwalk Outlets, a $100 gift certificate to Ernest’s Orleans Restaurant and more. It’s an incredible prize package – enter to win here.