Alabama Jubilee is the largest hot air balloon classic race in the American mid-South. Its inaugural event in 1978 was intended as a showcase for the city’s newly-purchased official hot air balloon, which was one of the first official city hot air balloons in the country. During its early years, it attracted nearly two dozen balloonists from neighboring states such as Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, drawing on the newfound popularity of hot air ballooning as a sport nationwide.

Today, Alabama Jubilee has been named as one of the top tourist events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, attracting more than 60 pilots from over 20 states throughout the country and serving as the region’s annual summer kickoff event every Memorial Day weekend. Its popularity as a major event attracting a national audience has led to the city’s declaration as the “Ballooning Capital of Alabama” by the Alabama Legislature.

P.O. Box 2601, Decatur, Alabama 35602-2601, Phone: 800-232-5449

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