Provo’s Freedom Festival got off to hot-air start Thursday morning as Balloon Fest began at Fox Field. Giant balloons filled the air, as they will Friday and Saturday. Also, see the Balloon Glow on Friday from 8:30 on.
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Deseret News photojournalist Isaac Hale was on site for the early Balloon Fest and shared these images.
Hot-air balloon pilot Josh Lewis readies Feelin’ Froggy with the help of his crew during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held at Fox Field in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Tonia Lewis, crew chief of Feelin’ Froggy, helps get the balloon’s envelope back in the bag as she directs the rest of the crew during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
A plane lands at Provo Airport while a hot-air balloon pilot flies their balloon during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
People watch as hot air balloons are inflated during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held at Fox Field in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Hot-air balloon pilot Josh Lewis scans the skies as he pilots his balloon, Feelin’ Froggy, during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
A hot air balloon floats near the Wasatch Mountains in Provo during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Hot air balloons take off from Fox Field during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Hot air balloons float near Brigham Young University’s West Campus, formerly Provo High School, during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
A passenger waves at a hot air balloon as it floats over their vehicle along University Parkway in Provo during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Hot-air balloon pilot Josh Lewis readies Feelin’ Froggy as other balloons ascend during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held at Fox Field in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Hot air balloons are inflated during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held at Fox Field in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
A hot air balloon lands in a residential neighborhood during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held at Fox Field in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Hot air balloons land in a residential neighborhood during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held at Fox Field in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
David Linhart, of Buckeye, Ariz., helps get Feelin’ Froggy’s envelope back in the bag with the rest of the crew during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Erin Grimshaw, left, of South Jordan, and Tanner Hepworth, right, of West Jordan, help hold open the envelope of Feelin’ Froggy as the balloon’s pilot, Josh Lewis, bottom center, fires the burners to help inflate the balloon during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held at Fox Field in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Hot air balloons take off from Fox Field during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest in Provo on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
A hot air balloon floats near the Wasatch Mountains in Provo during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
A hot air balloon floats above a residential neighborhood in Provo during the Freedom Festival Balloon Fest held on Thursday, July 2, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
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