On September 16 and 17, Forest Park’s Central Field will once again host The Great Forest Park Balloon Race, which organizers claim is “the oldest and most well-attended free hot air balloon event in the world.” Spectators will watch on Friday as the colorful balloons light the night sky. Then, on Saturday, 70 balloons will chase after the lead “hare” balloon (wind permitting) before landing wherever the breeze might take them.
Here’s more about the balloon race, by the numbers:
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7 – Height, in stories, of the average hot air balloon
55 – Width, in feet, of the most popular hot air balloon size
1,800 – Approximate square yards of nylon fabric in the most popular hot air balloon size
90,000 – Cubic feet of heated air needed to lift a balloon
1 – Times a balloon has landed on a barge in the Mississippi (in 1972, the first and only time)
