Photo Credit: Visit Page Arizona
“Come to Page, Arizona, the first weekend of November and treat yourself and your family to the beauty that has inspired artists and photographers for decades – the azure blue of Lake Powell contrasted with the red of the Navajo sandstone and the ever-changing hues of the Vermilion Cliffs. Imagine 50+ colorful balloons ascending into the clear Arizona sky against a backdrop so wondrous and unique. The entire event is a visual so spectacular that it becomes truly awe-inspiring. There is something mystical and magical about watching hot air balloons peacefully rise into the sky and float above you. Eye candy defined… this is the Page, Lake Powell Balloon Regatta.“
The 21st Page and Lake Powell Balloon Regatta event is set to kick-off on October 31st, 2024. The Rankin Realty team is hopeful that weather won’t interfere with morning flights, the Saturday night Balloon Glow illuminating Lake Powell Boulevard, or the Chamber of Commerce Street Fair that overtakes all of Page’s 17th block. We (Heather + Ashley) have attended the event each year since its inception, witnessing in real-time as it grew more and more powerful: eventually becoming our region’s signature event as we know it today. And when it comes to that growth, this year is no exception. 2024 will see several excellent upgrades. Most notably:
#1: The 2024 event will run an additional day– 10/31, 11/1, 11/2, 11/3
This change is great news. We definitely want more of the Nation’s second-largest Balloon Regatta. Rankin’s would often discuss in previous years that it felt like the weekend was too short, that the great memories were ending too soon.
#2: The 2024 event will double as a bit of Halloween Festival: “Nightmare on Elm Street”
Given the Regatta’s close proximity to Halloween, many people would attend in costume in previous years anyway: so this change is only fitting. In partnership with the Page Public Library (note: voted Best Small Library in America) Nightmare on Elm Street will offer a Trunk or Treat and a Costume Contest on the night of Thursday, October 31st. Horror House shipping containers will run through each night of the Chamber Street Fair.
A memory comes to mind. In 2015, a man dressed as Darth Vader approached me (Ashley) during the Saturday night balloon glow and took hold of my Radio Flyer wagon, which held my sons Noah Rankin (age 3) and Archer (age 1.5). As he walked away pulling the wagon, he rasped “Take a picture”.
(The moment was made all-the-more hilarious because Noah was wielding a light saber.) After the photo was taken, the Sith Lord graciously returned the children…
The Complete 2024 Schedule of Events
Thursday, October 31
7:15 AM Brief/Launch Lake Powell National Golf Course Launch from John C. Page Memorial Park
3 – 10 PM Page Chamber Street Fair on Elm Street: Inflatables, Live Music, Beer Garden, Food Trucks, Navajo Heritage Shows, Vendors, and Artists
3:00 – 9:00 PM Nightmare on Elm Street
5:30 – 8:00 PM Trunk or Treat and Costume Contest
Music Line Up
3-5 PM Lake Powell Outlaws
5- 6 PM Kendall Neisses
6- 8 PM Ready, Fire, Aim?
8 – 10 PM NXT-LVL
Friday, November 1
7:15 AM Brief/Launch Lake Powell National Golf Course Launch from John C. Page Memorial Park
11 AM – 10 PM Page Chamber Street Fair on Elm Street: Inflatables, Live Music, Beer Garden, Food Trucks, Navajo Heritage Shows, Vendors, and Artists
11:00 AM – 9:00 PM Nightmare on Elm Street
Music Line Up
12:30 – 2:30 PM Big Daddy D & The Dynamites
3- 5 PM Aragon Ping Band
5:30 – 7:30 PM Sir Harrison Band
8 – 10 PM Infamous Demise
Saturday, November 2
7:15 AM Brief/Launch Lake Powell National Golf Course Launch from John C. Page Memorial Park
6:30 – 8:00 PM Balloon Glow on Lake Powell Blvd.
10 AM – 10 PM Page Chamber Street Fair on Elm Street: Inflatables, Live Music, Beer Garden, Food Trucks, Navajo Heritage Shows, Vendors, and Artists
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM Nightmare on Elm Street
Music Line Up
12:30 – 2:30 PM Tyller Gummersall Band
3 – 5 PM Mesozoic
5:30 – 7:30 PM Red Hot Tribute
8 -10 PM Mothers of Mayhem
Sunday, November 3
7:15 AM Brief/Launch Lake Powell National Golf Course Launch from John C. Page Memorial Park
Would You Like to Ride in a Beautiful Balloon?
The November 2023 Event was the largest ever: with an estimated 16,000 attendees. Rankin Realty Southwest was a Balloon Sponsor, which meant we were connected with a specific balloonist to spend time with. It was Keith Takach, with his balloon “Takach Another Breeze”, hailing from Albuquerque, NM. The weekend started off right with a Dinner at the Elk’s Lodge, where we got to spend time with Pilot Keith, his family, and friends: getting to know them. Then early the next morning, our Noah Rankin (11) and Archer Rankin (9.5) got to go for a ride in the balloon. It was both thrilling and strangely curious to participate in the inexact science of chasing the balloon from the ground, as it soared through the air above the town my family has called “Home” for 3 generations. They landed in the Page Lumber parking lot. The boys learned a lot about ballooning: set up, flight, and landing.
Right: Takach Another Breeze balloon
If you’d like to ride in a Balloon, your best bet is to sign up as a Balloon Sponsor for the 2025 Balloon Regatta. Contact the City of Page for more information.
If you’re hoping for this year, try to show up early to the Golf Course one morning during the upcoming Regatta and offer a Ballooninst help with “crewing”. If you’re lucky, they might offer you a flight (no guarantees).
Links
The City of Page – They run the Balloonists / Flights / Saturday Night Glow side of things
The Chamber of Commerce – They run the Street Fair
THE BALLOONIST’S PRAYER
May the winds welcome you with softness.
May the sun bless you with its warm hands.
May you fly so high and so well that God joins you in laughter
And sets you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.
~Author Unknown
THE BALLOON CREW’S PRAYER
The winds have cursed us like a cyclone.
The sun has scorched and parched us.
We have chased our pilot
through Mother Earth’s maze and
God has laughed at us
as we have climbed barbed wire
to retrieve our Captain
in a field of thistles and ditches.
We pray there is cold beer waiting.
Amen.
~Author Unknown
