Jackson, Michigan, Sept. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the first time in its history, the FAI Women’s World Hot Air Balloon Championship is coming to the United States.
Jackson, Michigan, has been officially awarded to host the 6th FAI Women’s World Hot Air Balloon Championship, scheduled for July 10–17, 2027. The prestigious event will bring the world’s top female hot air balloon pilots to Jackson County to compete for the ultimate international title.
This announcement marks a significant milestone for both American and women’s competitive ballooning. First held in 2014, the Women’s World Hot Air Balloon Championship remains one of the newer championships on the international ballooning calendar. The 2027 event will be only the sixth edition of the championship, with one cancellation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Balloon Federation of America in conjunction with the National Aeronautic Association partnered with the Hot Air Jubilee to submit a formal bid to host the 2027 championship during the original selection process. While the event was initially awarded to AIUIa, Saudi Arabia, earlier this year, the original host subsequently withdrew. Jackson and the Hot Air Jubilee immediately reaffirmed its readiness and capability to bring the championship to the United States.
“When we first pursued this championship, we knew Jackson was ready to take this next step,” said Angela Madden, Chair of the Hot Air Jubilee. “When it was awarded elsewhere, we respected that decision and were proud to have put Jackson forward. When circumstances changed and the opportunity came back, we knew we could step up and make this championship happen even with the shortened timeline.”
For the Balloon Federation of America (BFA), the championship represents a historic opportunity to welcome the international ballooning community and continue their effort of supporting and promoting women pilots by bringing the Women's World Hot Air Balloon Championship to the United States for the first time.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome the international ballooning community to the United States for the Women’s World Hot Air Balloon Championship for the first time,” said Jason Jones, President of the Balloon Federation of America. “Jackson and the Hot Air Jubilee have demonstrated their commitment to women’s competitive ballooning through four successful years of hosting the U.S. Women’s National Championship, and we have every confidence they will be exceptional hosts on the world stage. We look forward to welcoming the competitors from around the globe to the United States and to Michigan in 2027.”
Pilots representing nations from around the world will be travelling to Jackson with their team members, officials, crews, families and supporters. The competition will take place throughout Jackson County, with pilots completing a rigorous series of flying tasks designed to test navigation, strategy, and precision piloting skill.
For the Hot Air Jubilee, simply conducting a successful competition is only part of the goal. Recognizing that a Women’s World Championship is still relatively young, organizers see an opportunity to contribute to its global growth and establish a new gold standard for women competing at the highest level of the sport.
“These women aren’t coming to Jackson to participate in a women’s version of a World Championship. They are coming here to compete for a world championship!” Madden emphasized. “That distinction matters to us. We want to take everything we have learned over the last four years and challenge ourselves to go further. We want to push the limits of what we can do as organizers and help raise expectations for women’s competitive ballooning. The quality of the competition, organization, hospitality and overall championship experience should reflect the significance of the title these athletes are competing to win.”
The philosophy is not about comparing Jackson to previous hosts, Madden noted, but about recognizing that each championship has the responsibility to build upon those that came before it.
The Hot Air Jubilee has brought hot air balloons to Jackson since 1983, creating generations of volunteers, landowners, sponsors and community partners who have made ballooning part of the community's identity. That network will now support an event unlike any the organization has hosted before.
For Jackson, organizers say the opportunity is simultaneously about honoring that history and embracing the challenge of something new.
“We don't want 2027 to only be remembered because it was the first time the Women’s World Championship was held in the United States,” Madden said. “We want it remembered for the quality of the competition, the way the athletes were welcomed and the experience created around them. And when the next Women’s World Championship is held, we hope its organizers look at Jackson and ask, ‘How do we take it even further?’ That's how an event grows.”
Planning for the 6th FAI Women’s World Hot Air Balloon Championship is actively underway. Additional information regarding competitors, officials, volunteers, sponsorship opportunities, community activities and the official schedule will be announced in the coming months.
ABOUT THE HOT AIR JUBILEE
Founded in 1983, the Hot Air Jubilee is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to bringing the sport and spectacle of hot air ballooning to Jackson, Michigan. The annual Hot Air Jubilee has remained free to the public and has welcomed generations of families, pilots and visitors to Jackson. From 2023 through 2026, Jackson also served as host of the BFA U.S. Women’s National Hot Air Balloon Championship.
ABOUT THE BALLOON FEDERATION OF AMERICA
The Balloon Federation of America is the national organization representing balloonists and ballooning in the United States. Through its competition programs and international representation, the BFA supports the development of competitive ballooning and American participation in international balloon competition.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL AERONAUTIC ASSOCIATION
The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) is the oldest national aviation organization in the United States and serves as the U.S. representative to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the World Air Sports Federation. Founded in 1905, NAA advances the art, sport and science of aviation and spaceflight, represents U.S. air sports internationally, and is responsible for the certification of aviation and space records established in the United States. Through its relationship with FAI and its U.S. air sport organizations, NAA supports American participation in international air sport competition.
ABOUT THE FAI
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), or World Air Sports Federation, is the international governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records. Founded in 1905 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, FAI oversees international competition and record-setting across a wide range of air sports, including ballooning. Through the FAI Ballooning Commission (CIA), FAI sanctions World and Continental Hot Air Balloon Championships and establishes the sporting framework for international balloon competition. FAI brings together national air sport organizations from around the world and is recognized internationally as the authority for aeronautical world records and championship air sports.
Angela Madden Hot Air Jubilee 517-782-1515 almadd@gmail.com