News Release

2020 Festival to Take Flight July 24-26

READINGTON, NJ - Anything can happen in Jersey. Or in the case of 100 hot air balloons, over it.

The New Jersey Festival of Ballooning has announced the New Jersey Lottery as its new title sponsor in a multi-year agreement. The largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America, a must on everyone’s summer calendar, will take flight July 24-26, 2020 at Solberg Airport in Readington, NJ.

The event will be renamed the “New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning.”

“Thanks to the New Jersey Lottery rising to the occasion, we’re all winners,” said Festival Executive Producer Howard Freeman. “This is a win for the tens of thousands of people who come out each year for the unique opportunity to see the sky filled with balloons, see our great concerts, or enjoy a weekend of family entertainment. It’s a win for all the community causes we support. It’s also a win for the State, as we created the festival to showcase the many great things New Jersey has to offer.”

“We’re proud to continue our partnership with New Jersey Lottery, which first started 20 years ago and has encompassed their sponsoring our Saturday night headlining concert, and take it and the festival to new heights with many new exciting experiential opportunities for our attendees to enjoy this summer,” added Freeman.

“New Jersey Lottery is excited to partner with the Festival of Ballooning. The festival will be a great platform for us to remind New Jersey about the Lottery’s 50th anniversary and all of our fun and entertaining lottery games,” said James A. Carey, the New Jersey Lottery’s Executive Director. “We’re thrilled to preserve this gem, which has meant so much to so many people across New Jersey for over 30 years.”

To mark the Lottery’s golden anniversary, this year’s signature special shape hot air balloon at the festival will be an 80-foot-tall anniversary cake.

The 38th annual New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning in Association with PNC Bank offers three days of affordable family entertainment featuring the awe-inspiring spectacle of up to 100 giant, colorful hot air balloons taking flight twice each day; a live concert series featuring Grammy Award winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and rising talent; a fireworks display; a nighttime hot air balloon glow; family entertainment and attractions; children’s amusement rides; a 5K race; exciting interactive exhibits and marketing experiences to engage attendees; and hundreds of vendors.

The festival has been named the premier family entertainment attraction in New Jersey by the USA TODAY Network; the top festival in the state and one of the Top 50 festivals in America by MSN Lifestyle; and was named the #1 Thing to Do in the state by New Jersey Monthly magazine. The festival attracted 169,500 attendees from around the world in 2019, including all 21 counties in the state, as well as hot air balloon pilots from 24 states and two countries.
New Jersey Lottery offers 12 varieties of games with scratch-offs and draw games being the most popular and Pick-6 considered a fan favorite. New Jersey Lottery touchscreen vending machines and exciting new games will be introduced throughout its 50th anniversary year in 2020.

The Lottery is the State’s fifth-largest individual revenue producer benefiting the residents of New Jersey. Since its inception in 1970, the Lottery has contributed over $28 billion to the State, helping to bolster the public employee pension system for teachers, police and fire personnel and other public employees, as well as supporting business and communities throughout New Jersey.

Giving back to its communities is also an important part of the festival, which has raised more than $3 million to date to benefit local charities, non-profit organizations and children’s specialized hospitals.
To learn more about this year’s upcoming festival, visit www.balloonfestival.com.

To learn more about this year’s upcoming festival, visit www.balloonfestival.com.