The Great Reno Balloon Race 2027

The Great Reno Balloon Race 2027 runs Sep 9–12, 2027, in Reno, Nevada.

Reno, Nevada (Rancho San Rafael Regional Park).

Sep 9–12, 2027.

Best categories: rv, trucks-vans, towable. The Great Reno Balloon Race fills the sky over Rancho San Rafael Regional Park each September and bills itself as the largest free hot-air ballooning event in the United States. The signature moment is Dawn Patrol: a handful of balloons launching in full darkness around 5am, glowing like lanterns before the mass ascension follows at first light. The 2027 race runs Thursday through Sunday, September 9-12, the week after Labor Day, on the organizers' own list of future dates. There is no camping at the launch park itself, so the RV move is a nearby full-hookup base — Sparks Marina RV Park sits about 15 minutes east — with pre-dawn drives to the park each morning. Early September in Reno is superb RV weather and a busy regional window (multiple events cluster in the same weeks), so book 8 weeks out and expect campgrounds across the Truckee Meadows to fill. Mornings are cold at 4,500 feet even when afternoons hit 85.

Recommended lead time: 8 weeks. Event windows book up early, so search and lock your dates as soon as your plans firm up.

Admission has historically been free — the event bills itself as the largest free hot-air ballooning event in the U.S. Parking and premium experiences are the paid components; check the official site for current details.

No — the launch park isn't a campground. Sparks Marina RV Park, about 15 minutes east, is a practical full-hookup base for the pre-dawn drives that this event rewards.

About 8 weeks out. The race runs September 9-12, 2027, the weekend after Labor Day, and early September stacks several large events in the Reno area at once, so regional campgrounds and rigs tighten together.

Launch-field mornings start near 40F — real layers for the family, and follow field marshals: inflation zones move fast and crews have right of way.

Dawn Patrol is the show photographers come for — arrive by 4:30am once during the weekend; the other mornings you can watch the mass ascension from camp chairs outside the park fence.