Strathaven Balloon Festival

Our annual hot air ballooning event is the only one of its kind in Scotland, this year representing South Lanarkshire in Homecoming Scotland. Unlike many balloon gatherings, we combine the magnificent sight of hot air balloons with our Saturday and Sunday Fun Days, so that there’s something for all the family to enjoy in Strathaven and entry to the Festival is free, though we are very grateful for your donations - as they say, every little helps.

Although our Festival has grown into a major international event for Strathaven, it’s organised by a small team of local volunteers, who believe in DIY. A bit like the Forth Bridge, work on next year’s Festival begins as soon as this year’s event is over. We raise thousands of pounds to enable our Festival to take place and we value the generous support we receive from local businesses. We also wish to thank South Lanarkshire Council, who greatly help us to make it a success. Without these partners - and without YOU - there would be no Festival.

Why did we begin, all those years ago, in 1999? Well, Strathaven is a traditional country town that offers a distinctive range of shopping and services - we hope you will explore our town during the Festival weekend. It’s THE place for A Great Day Out for all the family. But, like many other small communities, it is under pressure from the gigantic shopping malls elsewhere. We wanted to help Strathaven’s economy by encouraging folk into our town and we still do, hence the Strathaven Balloon Festival.