The great reno balloon race is the worlds largest free hot air ballooning event that has been going on for 45+ years, the first event taking place in 1982 with 20 balloons. This event is a three day event that takes place in early September at the San Rafael Regional Park. When you look up into the sky during the 3 days in early September, you'll see a rainbow of hot air balloons soaring about in the sky. The idea was to create an event that would keep visitors in town the weekend between the state fair & Reno air races. with an average of 150,000+ spectators attending the event each year, the number of lives touched by the beautiful spectacle continues to rise just like the balloons themselves.