We are pleased to announce that the 45th Annual Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally will take place September 11-13, 2020, but in a heavily modified format. The event organizers, the Great Plains Balloon Club, along with our host Mount Hope Cemetery, Funeral Chapel & Reception Center are planning to bring hot air balloons to Topeka with an innovative twist.

Our goal has been to create a unique community event that will allow residents to continue to enjoy some of the tradition of the Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally. The safety of our pilots, crews, sponsors, vendors, and spectators is our top priority; so unfortunately Huff ‘n Puff 2020 will be a socially distanced closed field event.

Weather permitting, about a dozen balloons will launch from the Mount Hope Balloon field the mornings of September 12th and 13th, and the evenings of September 11th and 12th. The possibility of the nighttime balloon glow is yet to be determined.

There will not be any public access to the Mount Hope property. Though you will not be able to get up close and interact with the pilots and crews, there will still be opportunities to see the balloons by driving by the Mount Hope Cemetery, Funeral Chapel & Reception Center Balloon Field along Huntoon Street and Fairlawn Road during launches as well flying in the skies above Topeka. If you are feeling adventurous you can even follow your favorite balloon to its landing site. If so, please drive carefully and respectfully, obey all rules of the road and stay off of private property during landing and pack up and observe from the road. We have to keep our landowners happy and our community socially distanced.

Vendors will not be available for the closed field event, and the Balloon Discovery experience for youth has been canceled for 2020 as well as the Crew Training event we typically hold in August.

With most balloon events canceling outright for 2020, we thought with a little patience and understanding we could still give the people of Topeka a chance to experience Huff ‘n Puff this year in one way or another. With this being our 45th year, the Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally has become an annual family tradition for many. We wanted to give you the opportunity to continue that tradition in a unique way for these unique times.

We would like to thank all of or our Sponsors, Vendors, and volunteers that help make the Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally possible. Thank you to all of our Pilots and their crews for putting on a show year after year, and thank you Topeka!