Cedar Rapids Balloon Glow Moving to New Location in 2019

The Cedar Rapids Balloon Glow is moving to a bigger location next year. The popular Freedom Festival event that acts as an unofficial start to summer in the city is moving to the Cedar Rapids Country Club. The location, off 27th Street Drive in southeast Cedar Rapids, will allow the massive event to grow even more.

The historic Brucemore mansion has been the home of Balloon Glow up to this point, although a rainout and rescheduled date moved the 2018 event to the NewBo area. In a release from the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival, Board President Jonathan Lam explained the move:

Brucemore has been a fantastic venue for this event, and we apprecciate their partnership over the years. The new venue provides us additional space for guests to spread out and increase the number of hot air balloons.

Executive Director Robyn Rieckhoff said,

In reviewing location options for Balloon Glow, The Cedar Rapids Country Club exceeded our venue criteria. We're very pleased to launch this new partnership.

The 2019 Balloon Blow will be held Tuesday, June 25, with the rain date that Thursday, June 27. Admission will still be free with your Freedom Festival button. Those go on sale Memorial Day weekend at Hy-Vee Food and Drugstores and Casey's locations in the corridor.

Shuttle stops for the 2019 event will remain the same. They'll be in the Cedar Rapids Washington High School parking lot and the Rockwell Collins parking lot on 35th St. N.E.

The Cedar Rapids Country Club should provide another gorgeous setting for a wonderful family event and the added space definitely won't be a bad thing. I'm already looking forward to this bigger, better event in 2019. And warmer weather, too.