If watching a sunrise from a hot air balloon is on your bucket list, I can’t recommend the Mildura Ballooning Festival enough.

The 2026 Mildura Ballooning Festival runs from Saturday, 4 July to Sunday, 12 July, when dozens of colourful balloons fill the winter skies each morning. It’s one of Mildura’s most iconic annual events and attracts both visitors and elite pilots from around Australia.

One of the festival highlights is the Night Glow, was held on Saturday, 4 July from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Mildura Recreation Reserve. Watching the balloons illuminate in sync with music while surrounded by food trucks, live entertainment and families enjoying the evening is a magical experience—even if you’re not flying.

The festival also hosts the Australian Hot Air Balloon Grand Prix, serving as Round Two of the Australian Ballooning Federation Grand Prix and providing elite pilot training ahead of the World Championships.

If you’d like to experience the sunrise from the basket yourself, Global Ballooning Australia is the exclusive commercial operator during the festival.

• Festival flights (4–12 July): From $429 per person
• Pre-festival flights (27 June–3 July): Available at a slightly reduced rate

My biggest piece of advice?

Book early—but don’t let a weather cancellation disappoint you.

That happened to me.

At first, I felt heartbroken when my original flight was cancelled. But after rebooking, I ended up experiencing the most breathtaking sunrise I’ve ever witnessed over Mildura.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

For anyone visiting Mildura, I can’t recommend a sunrise balloon flight enough. You don’t just see the region from above—you experience it differently. The views may be simple—open farmland, vineyards, the Murray River and the quiet beauty of a regional city—but the feeling of floating peacefully as the sun rises is something words can barely capture.

Some moments stay with you long after your feet are back on the ground.

This was one of mine.