Hot Air Balloon

Winthrop Balloon Roundup

Winthrop’s next Balloon Roundup is listed for 5–7 March 2027, with launches planned on all three mornings.

Archive photograph of Winthrop Balloon Roundup
Archive photograph of Winthrop Balloon Roundup. It does not show the line-up for a forthcoming edition. Photo: Guywelch2000 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0

The town’s visitor information places the launch area behind the Winthrop Inn and Abbycreek Inn, at the southern end of Winthrop on Highway 20. It advises spectators to arrive around 06:45, before inflation begins at about 07:00. That practical guidance is earlier than the event listing’s general start time.

Balloons rise above the Methow Valley with the North Cascades in the background. The organiser makes clear that weather determines whether each morning’s launch can happen. Staying for more than one morning gives you another opportunity to watch if the first is cancelled, without guaranteeing a flight.

Use the chamber’s event page for current access and programme updates. A spectator listing does not itself reserve a passenger place; ask the participating flight operator about bookings if you want to go up. The photograph shows a previous Roundup, rather than the balloons confirmed for 2027.

Sources and photograph

Editorial review: 9 November 2026. Source 1

Archive photograph of Winthrop Balloon Roundup. It does not show the line-up for a forthcoming edition. Photograph by Guywelch2000. CC0. Responsive versions may be cropped and resized.