Take a Look: Route 66 Balloon and Kite Festival at Parkhurst Ranch

The Route 66 Balloon and Kite Festival took place this past weekend in Arcadia, Oklahoma, offering three days of hot air balloon rides, a kite show, and family-friendly entertainment.

Other festival activities included helicopter rides, bounce houses, a petting zoo, over 70 food trucks, and vendors. This year, the festival set up at a new home at Parkhurst Ranch, known for its popular fall pumpkin patch and scenic farmland just outside Edmond.

“We chose Parkhurst for this festival because of the community around it,” said Morgan Snipes, a commercial Lighter-Than-Air pilot who’s been flying for about six years. “It’s an ideal location because it’s close to Edmond, and the elevation here is just a little lower than the rest of the city, and that’s ideal for setting up a balloon. The lower the wind, the better chance we have of inflating the balloon and keeping it there.”

 Snipes said that Parkhurst Ranch was the perfect choice for the festival after a visit to the venue.  

“Through one of our corporate contacts, we ended up talking with Parkhurst Ranch. When we came out to see the property, it was obvious this was where we needed to move the event. It’s so family-friendly, and that’s exactly what our events are about.”

With hundreds of visitors from across Oklahoma visiting the festival, the organizers are already looking ahead to next year’s festivities. According to the Oklahoma Route 66 website, the 2025 and 2026 Route 66 Balloon and Kite Festivals have been unanimously approved as official events, and planning is already underway.