Terre Haute has two festivals this weekend. The Terre Haute Balloon Festival runs Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26, at Terre Haute Regional Airport. The 21st Annual Indiana Bat Festival is Saturday, Sept. 26, with a free daytime event at Indiana State University and a free evening event at Dobbs Memorial Park.
Everything is within about 20 minutes of everything else, so you can do both. Here's how to plan it.
The plan
Friday night: Balloon glow at the airport.
Saturday:
- 8 a.m.: Balloon Festival 5K and morning balloon launch at the airport
- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Indiana Bat Festival at ISU
- 5 to 9 p.m.: Bat Science Night at Dobbs Park, or head back to the airport for Saturday's balloon glow
The two Saturday evening events overlap. Bat listening starts after dark, around the same time the balloons glow, so you'll have to pick one. That's why we'd do the balloon glow on Friday and save Saturday night for the bats.
Friday: Terre Haute Balloon Festival
Gates open at 4:30 p.m., and the festival runs from 5 to 9:30 p.m. both nights. The balloon glow starts after sunset, and the balloons light up the field after dark.
Chances And Services for Youth (CASY), a local nonprofit, puts on the festival. There's live music, food vendors and a Kids Zone with bounce houses, a climbing wall and face painting. The Kids Zone is free with admission.
Tickets. Online sales closed Sept. 23, so you'll buy at the gate:
- $20 for ages 19 and up
- $15 for ages 3 to 18
- Free for ages 2 and under
Each ticket covers one evening, Friday or Saturday.
Tethered balloon rides cost $20 per person and are cash only, so bring cash. They start after 6 p.m. Rides go up about 75 to 80 feet, and they only happen if the weather allows.
Know before you go:
- No outside food or drinks, and no coolers
- No pets (service dogs are allowed)
- Lawn chairs are welcome, but chair bags aren't
- Tickets are non-refundable
Balloon flights, rides and the glow all depend on wind and rain. The festival posts weather updates on its Facebook page, facebook.com/THBalloonFest, so check it before you leave.
Address: Terre Haute Regional Airport, 581 S. Airport St., Terre Haute
Saturday morning: 5K and balloon launch
The Terre Haute Balloon Festival 5K starts at 8 a.m. Saturday at the airport, and organizers pair it with a morning balloon launch around sunrise. Registration is $30 on race day.
Like everything else at the festival, the morning launch depends on the wind.
Saturday daytime: Indiana Bat Festival at ISU
The Indiana Bat Festival is free and runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second floor of the Science Building at Indiana State University, 600 Chestnut St., next to the ISU fountain.
You can see live bats up close, along with live birds and reptiles. There are educational exhibits, children's activities, face painting, poetry readings and bat merchandise.
ISU's Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and Conservation and Terre Haute Parks and Recreation put the festival on.
"The Indiana Bat Festival gives people an opportunity to see bats up close while learning why these animals are important to Indiana's ecosystems," said Brad Balch, ISU's interim dean of arts and sciences.
Saturday evening: Bat Science Night at Dobbs Park
From 5 to 9 p.m., the festival moves to Dobbs Memorial Park, 5170 E. Poplar St., on Terre Haute's east side. This half is also free.
Families can try bat research for themselves with a mist-netting activity. There's also "spelunking" in the Chiroptera Cave and mothing, which means drawing in insects the way bats find their food.
The evening also includes:
- A live animal presentation
- Hands-on demonstrations from bat biologists
- A wetland hike
- Children's activities, BatVentures and a yard board game
- A bake sale and a food truck
Once it gets dark, you can go out and listen for bats.
Getting around
The drives are short.
- ISU to Dobbs Park: about 12 minutes
- Dobbs Park to the airport: about 5 to 15 minutes
- ISU to the airport: about 15 to 25 minutes
Terre Haute is about 75 miles west of Indianapolis on I-70.
