When the Montgolfier brothers invented the hot air balloon in 1783, they hoped to match the bird's ability to travel by flight and roast marshmallows 3,000 feet above ground. Admire man-made fowl with today's Groupon to International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec, running from Saturday, August 13 through Sunday, August 21. Choose from the following options:

  • For $10, you get a single-entry, full day pass (up to a $25 value) to one of the following dates.
  • For $30, you get a full day pass for up to five people (up to a $125 value) to one of the following dates.

International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Dates and Performers

Tickets for children ages 3–12 are $7, and children 2 and younger receive free admission.

Blanketing 1.5 million square feet with inflatable festivities, International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu presents an elaborate, nine-day spectacle of hot air balloons, live pop acts, and family activities. Festival-goers can descend upon the playing field with a full-day pass that grants access to stages featuring pop stars such as Ke$ha (August 13), Marie-Mai (August 15), and Sean Paul (August 17). Arriving from Canada, the United States, Brazil, France, and the Land of Oz 125 hot air balloons offer airborne entertainment, launching daily at 6 a.m. from selected launching parks and 6 p.m. at the festival site filled with cloud-captivated passengers and passenger stalking clouds (not included in today's deal). Visitors can swing the kids by the interactive inflatables coloring the field at Balloon Planet, or cool down with a brew at Budweiser Terrace. Three different evenings boast Laurentian Bank Night Glows during which balloons morph into chinese lanterns, illuminating spectators' grins and glow-in-the-dark underwear as jugglers, acrobats, and fire-eaters perform amid the radiance.

Browse the International Balloon Festival's website to determine the best travel route and glean useful info regarding family services. The festival site opens at 1:30 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends and continues until well after the music headliners start at 9 p.m. Parking (not included in this Groupon) is $7 for cars and $20 for recreational vehicles.