Balloons over Waikato 2025: Hot air balloons to visit South Waikato after 7-year hiatus

Impressions from the Balloons Visit South Waikato event in 2017.

For the first time in seven years, the annual Balloons Over Waikato festival is returning to Tokoroa.

As part of this year’s festival programme, there will be a Balloons Visit South Waikato event on March 20 - in addition to the Balloons Visit Waipā event on March 21.

Both events are free and visitors can expect live music, food trucks, carnival rides and of course a selection of hot air balloons which will inflate and can be admired up close.

South Waikato Mayor Gary Petley said he was delighted to announce the “long-awaited return” of the event to the district.

“We set out a bold vision for our district in our Long-Term Plan and one of our goals is to have more people participate in community activities and events than ever before.

“Activities like this bring our community together and enable us to enjoy the camaraderie and unity that events like this promote.”

When asked what caused the seven-year hiatus, South Waikato District Council head of economic and community development Paul Bowden said in a statement Balloons Over Waikato was “a highly anticipated event”.

“Over the past few years it visited other locations away from our district. This year, when the opportunity arose for our district to participate in the event, we seized it with enthusiasm.”

In 2018, the balloons visited the Waipā District for the first time.

Balloons Over Waikato general manager Carla Steed said this year there would be about 23 hot air balloons coming to the festival. Of those, five balloons, including one special shape - either Ms. Autumn or Owlbert Eyenstein - would visit the South Waikato District.

Six balloons, including both special shapes, would visit the Waipā District.

Steed said the balloons had been visiting places outside Hamilton since at least 2006, although the visits were run “slightly separately to the festival back then”.

The festival celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

Ms. Autumn hot air balloon.

When asked if there were plans for the balloons to visit places outside Hamilton, Waipā and South Waikato, Steed said there weren’t any “current conversations” about this.

“The Balloons Over Waikato Trust Board will set out its new strategy for beyond 2025 after this year’s festival, so we are certainly open to having conversations about getting the balloons to visit other places in the future.”

She said there was a cost to the event organisers and the districts to run the event’s visits.

“We are a not-for-profit, so the cost is just related to running the event, like covering the balloonist’s costs and things like that.”

Balloons Over Waikato Trust chairman Steve Gow said the festival’s return to South Waikato added “a special touch” to this year’s event.

Owlbert Eyenstein hot air balloon.

“We are delighted to bring the magic of Balloons Over Waikato back to Tokoroa. This event is all about connecting communities and creating memorable moments. The warm welcome we’ve received from Tokoroa makes this return even more meaningful.”

The balloons will visit South Waikato on March 20 at 5.30pm at Tokoroa Memorial Sports Ground.

The free Balloons Over Waikato festival will celebrate its first lift-off of 2025 on March 18, at 7am at Innes Common, Hamilton Lake, however, the walk-thru balloon will already be in Garden Place on March 15 at 1pm.

The event will culminate in the Zuru Nightglow at Claudelands Oval on March 22 at 4pm. Like in previous years, the nightglow will be free to attend, however, people need a ticket.

To ensure fairer access to the tickets, the organisers made changes to the system with people being asked to pre-register via the event’s website until February 24. Ticket recipients will be drawn and notified on three separate dates.

For more information and the full schedule visit www.balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz.