Battle Creek’s biggest festival celebrates flight – whether it’s hot air balloons, jet planes, drones, Ferris wheels or fireworks. It all happens around the Fourth of July. 

New to the event? Here are some tips.  

WHEN IS IT?  

The festival goes from July 2 to 6. If you want to see the Thunderbirds, they’re performing July 4-6. 

FIRST DAY  

The first day of the festival is a great day to bring the kids, starting at 4 p.m. Admission is $5 (free for kids shorter than 3 feet) and parking is $5 per car. The carnival is open, there’s a balloon illume and fireworks. Enter to win a free bike! 

BEST PHOTOS  

Anyone with a camera phone can get amazing pics during any of the hot air balloon events. The balloons are scheduled to either launch or land at the airport every night at 7 p.m. It’s a whimsical moment, when the balloons float overhead, close enough for everyone to wave to the pilots.  

This may seem obvious, but the balloon events do depend on the weather and how much wind there is. The illume nights, however, don’t require a launch. Balloons are tethered to the ground and as the sky grows dark, the balloons light up with bursts of fire.  

NEW THIS YEAR 

There will be a drone show July 3, which is new to the festival. Watch dozens of drones light up the night sky as they make formations. 

BRING SEATING  

The festival takes place at an airport, so bring your own chairs. But don’t stop at the lawn chair – we see beach tents, sun umbrellas, and once even a portable hammock stand. There’s no shade in the field, so do what you can to keep cool.  

Speaking of cool, coolers are allowed as long as they don’t contain glass or alcohol.  

TREAT YOURSELF  

There will be a lot of delicious fair food to indulge in, so pace yourself. Maybe start with cotton candy, move to BBQ ribs and tacos, cool off with shaved ice and lemon shake-ups, load up on Saratoga fries or fried cheese on a stick, then finish the night with an elephant ear.  

PARKING TIPS  

Exact change is needed for parking and no cards will be accepted  – but they do have an ATM if you forget. Here are more guidelines.  

The parking areas are marked with signs, so take a picture of the sign closest to your vehicle. It’ll make it easier to find your parking spot at the end of the day, when it gets dark. 

For a full schedule of events, please visit the Field of Flight website.