LEWISTON, Maine — After organizers of the Great Falls Balloon Festival said the event would not be happening this year, the cities of Lewiston and Auburn announced they will be organizing a similar event for this August.
"The L/A Balloon Festival, scheduled for August 16-18, 2024, carries on the annual tradition of the popular Great Falls Balloon Festival," the city of Lewiston said in a post on its website. "This year will be the 30th anniversary celebration."
Organizers shared on May 22 that the annual event would not be happening in 2024, citing "several significant obstacles" and "a series of challenges and unforeseen circumstances," including "logistical issues, safety concerns, and other unexpected factors beyond our control."
In a social media post shared May 30, the organizers said the festival's board of directors held an emergency meeting to decide how best to proceed.
"After much discussion, it was decided and agreed that even though the Great Falls Balloon Festival organization would not be launching a 2024 Festival, we fully support the City’s decision to move forward with their own event for its 30th year," the post stated.
The post went on to say that the board of directors still plans to bring the Great Falls Balloon Festival back in 2025.
"With critical deadlines approaching and contracts needing to be signed, we decided the best course of action rather than hope we would be able to pay vendors, pilots, etc. was, to the betterment of the festival, to postpone until 2025," the post stated.
The board of directors said it has been in contact with the city to share its list of pilots, sponsorships that were secured (and reimbursed), vendors that were confirmed, volunteers, and all other festival information.
Nate Libby, assistant director of economic and community development for Lewiston, told NEWS CENTER Maine that the three-day event draws thousands to the region each year, bringing an influx of business to the local economy.
"Each year of the festival in the last several years, over 100,000 folks have come to Lewiston-Auburn to participate," he said. "Collectively, folks spend about $2 million over those three days, participating in events, shopping at our shops, eating at our restaurants, staying at our hotels."