Pie in the Sky festival returns to Kyle during Labor Day weekend

The annual Kyle Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival returns this Labor Day weekend, the City of Kyle recently announced.   

Pie in the Sky has been an annual event in Kyle since 2017 and attracts thousands of visitors from around the state and country. 

“After a year of postponements and cancellations, we are so excited to bring back the Kyle Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival,” Special Events Coordinator Sarah Watson said in a statement. “We’ve arranged for lots of new festival experiences — including great specialty balloons, a headlining performance from Texas’ own Kyle Park, increased pie eating contest spectacle, kid zone activities and much more. We’ve got something for everyone this year, and we're planning on making a weekend of it.”  

Pie in the Sky features morning hot air balloon "mass ascensions” where balloons take off at sunrise flying over Kyle on Saturday and Sunday morning, as well as beautiful “glow shows” in the evenings, where tethered hot air balloons will glow against the evening sky at Lake Kyle. All balloon events are weather dependent.  

This year’s festival will feature about 25 balloons, including Top Flight, Ladybug and Spider Pig. For an additional $25 onsite, festival attendees will be able to step inside a hot air balloon basket and lift high into the sky while safely tethered to the ground. Tickets for tethered rides are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis and are weather dependent.   

Pie in the Sky also features a pie eating contest hosted by Broadway Bank, pie baking contest hosted by the Plum Creek Recreation Committee, a Pie Café, vendor market, great food, activities for children and live music performances throughout the weekend. 

This year’s music lineup features Kyle Park as the Saturday night headliner and performances by Django Walker, Sloppy Joe, the Broken Arrow Band, LC Rocks and more.   

Additionally, anyone named Kyle — spelled that way — is invited to participate in the Gathering of the Kyles on Saturday morning with the goal to break the Guinness World Record for the most Kyles in one place. Past participants have come from as far away as Massachusetts.

Pie in the Sky will also feature two firework shows on Friday and Saturday night. 

Limited on-site public parking will be available at Lake Kyle this year for $20 a vehicle. Free shuttles to and from Lake Kyle will run continuously between the festival and free parking locations at Lehman High School, 1700 Lehman Road; Tobias Elementary, 1005 E. RM 150; and Seton Medical Professional Offices, 1180 Seton Parkway.

New this year, the City of Kyle will also subsidize Uber rides to and from the festival, as long as it is within Kyle City Limits, through the Uber Kyle $3.14 program. For additional information regarding the Uber Kyle $3.14 program, go to CityofKyle.com/UberKyle314.  

Those who plan to attend should be aware that the festival takes a break on Saturday between noon and 5 p.m. Tickets are available for pre-sale prices at $5 per person for morning sessions and $10 per person for evening sessions. Tickets purchased at the gate will be $10 per person for morning sessions and $20 per person for evening sessions. Kids 10 and under are always free. Bags will be checked at the gate, and clear bags are encouraged. Guests can purchase tickets and plan their Labor Day weekend in Kyle with a list of nearby hotels and eateries, shuttle schedules, directions and maps to parking at www.pieinthesky.com.

Pie in the Sky takes place on Friday, Sept. 3 from 5-10 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 4 between 6:15 a.m.-12 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 5 from 6:15 a.m.-12 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.