FOLEY — A man and his friend were sitting in his living room when a shadow eclipsed the window.

As they walked outside and watched from the driveway, Karen Kent landed her hot air balloon in his yard.

The annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival was held at OWA in Foley over the weekend, with dozens of massive hot air balloons vibrant with color filled the skies of Foley and Baldwin County. Though the events planned for Saturday were canceled due to weather, it was still a spectacle for many people on the ground on days prior.

"We'd like to thank everyone who came out to the 21st-annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival presented by Columbia Southern University! While Saturday's weather didn't cooperate, we were thrilled with the fantastic turnout and the energy everyone brought to the event. You helped make this year's festival one to remember," said Rachel Spear, director of events for the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce. "We're incredibly grateful for the continued support from our community, visitors, sponsors, vendors and volunteers — and especially the City of Foley and OWA Parks & Resort. This event takes months of planning, and seeing it come to life is always rewarding. We can't wait to watch it continue to grow and evolve in the years to come — and we hope to see everyone back at next year's festival, April 30-May 2, 2026!"

In the early morning hours on Friday, several groups and their hot air balloons drove from OWA to a rural field in Foley. Kent and her crew from the towns of Port Allen and Baton Rouge in Louisiana took Gulf Coast Media on a ride as she and the other groups prepared to set sail into the sky.

Kent has been doing this for 30 years, and a fear of heights has never been an issue her and the others. Despite some weather concerns, we were able to take off into the morning sky as the ground became further and further away from. Pretty soon, several hot air balloons were floating in the air as the sun began to shine down and the morning mist permeated through the air. We flew roughly six miles toward Magnolia Springs, with cars, people and farm animals looking like ants.

There were several people below standing on their front porch looking up at what was floating in the sky as they drank their morning coffee, and their dogs barked at the unusual sight. A school bus driving a group of children pulled over by the side of the road to let the kids watch the hot air balloons float over their heads. A lot of these kids got to see the hot air balloons first-hand when a couple landed at Foley Middle School, as if an alien and its aircraft landed in front of them.

When we got to Magnolia Springs, we began our descent to the ground. The homeowner whose yard we landed in and his friend said they were in awe of the experience and they didn't mind us landing there.

After everything was put away, Kent brought out a bottle of champaign to share, as is tradition, and recited the Balloonist's Prayer, which is printed on the side of their trailer.

"The winds have welcomed you with softness. The sun has blessed you with his warm hands. You have flown so high and so well, that God has joined you in your laughter. And he has se you gently back again into the loving arms of Mother Earth."