Coming Soon To Skies Near You.....
53rd Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships
We are so pleased to be able to announce that in September 2025 (20th - 26th), the skies above Lough Key Forest & Activity Park, Boyle, Co. Roscommon will be filled with the beautiful sight of dozens of Hot Air Balloons.
Our launch site for 2025 will be the beautiful Lough Key Forest & Activity Park, tickets will not be required for you to view the balloons launching and there is ample parking on site (chargeable by the park upon exit).
Please, please be courteous and considerate to all other road users when driving to/ from and parking in/ near our launch site. Our balloonists and their crew also need to be able to access the sites easily otherwise there will be nothing to see(!) so can we ask that you give way to the balloonists where possible please.
Planned Flights (all flights are weather permitting) -
Saturday 20th September: PM only
Sunday 21st to Friday 26th inclusive: AM and PM
AM Flights - We aim to be in the air at approx. 07:30 however, this time may vary by an hour or so either side depending on the weather each morning, preparation for launch will commence approx. 45 minutes before take-off.
PM Flights - We aim to be in the air at approx. 17:30 however, this time may vary by an hour or so either side depending on the weather each evening, preparation for launch will commence approx. 45 minutes before take-off.
More details will follow nearer to the event such as more information on ballooning, weather information and updates etc. We are still in the planning stages and as soon as we have event information we will post it on the Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships page on Facebook, there will be no need to message us, we will make sure that all the information you need will be publicly available, when it is available - if you can’t see it, it’s because we’ve not announced it yet. Our dedicated Champs page on this website will also be able to provide you with some important information but will not be updated with specific information for each years event.
Unfortunately, flights for members of the public are not available during the Champs, flying is purely for fun by private balloonists only and so flights are not able to be purchased.
Just a little reminder that ballooning is totally dependent on the weather and we will only fly if it is suitable and safe to do so. We understand that some of you will want to travel some distance to see the balloons but, until around an hour (or even sometimes less) before the scheduled flight time, we will NOT be able to confirm if any flight will be going ahead and cannot ever advise on whether any travel should be undertaken. This can be very disappointing but, unfortunately, there is just nothing we can do about this aspect of ballooning. However, you have got 9 months to start your prayers to the weather gods…..!
Look forward to seeing you all soon!
THIS SITE ONLY CONTAINS GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS, ANY/ ALL UPDATES AND SPECIFIC INFORMATION YOU NEED CLOSER TO THE EVENT, ABOUT THE EVENT, WILL BE PUT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE - IRISH HOT AIR BALLOONING CHAMPIONSHIPS.
PLEASE LIKE/ FOLLOW THE FACEBOOK PAGE TO MAKE SURE YOU GET ALL OF OUR UPDATES. ONLY THE PAGE ITSELF (NOT THE EVENT, THIS IS CREATED JUST FOR DATE AND GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES) WILL BE UPDATED WITH INFORMATION SUCH AS LAUNCH LOCATIONS AND FLY/ NO FLY DECISIONS, THE MAIN IBA PAGE AND EVENT WITHIN THE PAGE WILL NOT BE UPDATED.
Roscommon County Council
2025 Championships - Sponsor
Roscommon County Council is the Local Authority for County Roscommon and provides a wide variety of services to the public including Housing, Planning, Roads and Infrastructure, Environment, Climate Change and also plays an important role in the Economic Development of the county in terms of supporting business, tourism, arts, heritage and culture.
Roscommon County Council are delighted to welcome the Hot Air Ballooning Championships back to Roscommon and in particular to Lough Key Forest & Activity Park, Boyle in 2025.
Roscommon County Council has a key role in promoting County Roscommon as tourist destination through the Visit Roscommon brand. Roscommon is a county that encourages you to slow down, spend time exploring this peaceful, unspoilt landscape dotted with interesting towns, villages, cosy waterside pubs and excellent restaurants. It is a county of castles and ancient kings, of stately home and spectacular west of Ireland landscapes. It has 140km’s of shoreline of the mighty River Shannon and offers tranquil lakesides and riverbanks. It is home to the stunning Lough Key Forest and Activity Park with a host of activities to allow you get active in nature. It is rich in heritage and culture with memories from bygone times and an invitation to create new memories and Choose Roscommon for a richer life.
Further information on attractions, activities & events can be found on www.visitroscommon.ie
Westland Horticulture
2025 Championships - Sponsor
Once again we would like to thank Westland Horticulture for their sponsorship and support for The 53rd Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships.
Whether you are an old hand or a new starter. Whether you are growing vegetables, feeding lawns or potting plants, we’ve got all the products you need to succeed.
We’re Westland Horticulture, and we’re dedicated to empowering everyone with the skills, knowledge, and tools for gardening success. Our brands include Peckish, Kent & Stowe, Big Tom, and Unwins, to name just a few, and with a legacy that spans over 30 years, you know you can trust us season after season.
We believe anyone can transform their space into a vibrant and sustainable ecosystem. From large landscape gardens to a windowsill or two, we understand the many benefits that gardening has on physical and mental health, so we want to help you give it your best and achieve a garden that not only supports wildlife, but makes you beam with pride too.
Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and we’re dedicated to creating positive change. This commitment is evident in our substantial reduction of peat across our range, our on-going efforts to transition to plastic-free packaging, the relentless pursuit of sourcing local ingredients, and even the introduction of our New Horizon fund that creates a greener future for all. Our sites also operate on 100% renewable energy, and we proudly maintain a zero-waste-to-landfill policy.
Westland Product Range - Our Brands - Westland Garden Health
Calor Gas
2025 Championships - Sponsor
Once again we would like to thank Calor Gas for their sponsorship and support for The 53rd Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships - the fabric part of a hot air balloon (the envelope) holds hot air in order to make them airborne but, the air inside the envelope has to be kept hot during the flight and this is done by burning propane, a combustible gas that’s used as fuel via special tanks, hoses and the balloon burners.
Calor Gas is the leading supplier of LPG in Ireland.
Switch to Calor for your central heating, cooking and fuel needs.
About Us
Who We Are
The Irish Ballooning Association is affiliated to the National Aero Club of Ireland, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale and the Commission Internationale d' Aerostation. The CIA is the international governing body of ballooning.
As the representative body for hot air ballooning in Ireland, the IBA handles the selection process for International competitions and supervises the National Ballooning Championships which has now been running for over 40 years.
Championships Questions
FAQ’s
Please DO NOT use the ”Contact Us” option for general questions regarding the Championships. Any/ all information you need (that is currently available) regarding the Champs - INCLUDING HOW & WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BALLOONS/ TICKETS/ WEATHER ETC - is on our Champs page on this site or, on our Facebook page (Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships). Unfortunately, questions submitted via the contact us relating to previously supplied information, information on dates, times, locations, how to see the balloons etc. or information already on this website/ our Facebook page will not be responded to, please use either of the above options.
We will be unable to respond to any queries requesting fly/ no fly decisions information prior to our posts, nor advise or recommend, in advance of the outcome of the Pilots Briefing, whether any travel should be undertaken in order to view a launch. If your query is regarding launch locations/ times/ balloon locations/ weather updates etc. (all the info you need during the event), this information will be posted on the main Irish Hot Air Ballooning Championships Facebook page for everyone to see, we hope you will understand but, we will NOT be able to respond to individual questions regarding these aspects.
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE FLIGHTS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC DURING THE WEEK OF THE CHAMPIONSHIPS NOR CAN WE PROVIDE ADVICE ON HOW TO EXPERIENCE A HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHT.