Ontario
May to October brings sunrise and pre-sunset flights, with shared seats on sale from CAD 250 plus HST. The launch field, from St. Jacobs to Stratford or Brantford, is picked on the day.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Weight limit | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weekday Morning Flight |
C$250 per person |
3 to 4 hours total, about 1 hour in the air (45 minutes to 1.5 hours) |
Baskets typically carry 8 to 12 passengers |
8+ (children under 8 cannot fly) | Vouchers non-refundable but transferable. Cancelled flights rebook another date; vouchers extended to next spring if unflown. | Check dates | ||
Shared FlightIncludes Personalised certificate signed by your pilot |
C$275 per person |
3 to 4 hours total, about 1 hour in the air |
up to 8 passengers in a basket divided into compartments |
10+ and at least 1.4 m (4'6") tall; under 16 must fly with an adult | 114 kg in its FAQ, 285 lb in its terms | Prepaid and non-refundable; date changes need 5 days' notice. Weather: rebook within 12 months; vouchers extended if unflown. | Check dates | |
Weekday Evening Flight |
C$300 per person |
3 to 4 hours total, about 1 hour in the air (45 minutes to 1.5 hours) |
Baskets typically carry 8 to 12 passengers |
8+ (children under 8 cannot fly) | Vouchers non-refundable but transferable. Cancelled flights rebook another date; vouchers extended to next spring if unflown. | Check dates | ||
Anytime Flight |
C$320 per person |
3 to 4 hours total, about 1 hour in the air (45 minutes to 1.5 hours) |
Baskets typically carry 8 to 12 passengers |
8+ (children under 8 cannot fly) | Vouchers non-refundable but transferable. Cancelled flights rebook another date; vouchers extended to next spring if unflown. | Check dates | ||
Private FlightIncludes Personalised certificate signed by your pilot |
C$1,345 per group |
3 to 4 hours total, about 1 hour in the air |
2 passengers |
10+ and at least 1.4 m (4'6") tall; under 16 must fly with an adult | 114 kg in its FAQ, 285 lb in its terms | Prepaid and non-refundable; date changes need 5 days' notice. Weather: rebook within 12 months; vouchers extended if unflown. | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 21, 2026. How we compare.
Sundance Balloons launches from one of three sites. At the Waterloo Rod & Gun Club, 1075 Bo-De Lane in St. Jacobs, balloons go up by the baseball diamond. The Concordia Club is at 429 Ottawa Street South in Kitchener, and Stratford Municipal Airport at 3022 Line 40, Stratford. The pilot picks one after checking the weather and wind, and passengers learn which from the flight status line. Sundance also sells these flights as Toronto-area flights and puts the launch area about 100 km from Toronto.
Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides works from six sites. Four are 6854 Line 86 in Elmira, the Grand River Mennonite Church in Princeton, 2124 Carmel-Koch Road in Wilmot and Fellowship Church in New Hamburg. The other two are the Lubitz Air Field at Bright and the Brant Rod & Gun Club in Brantford. Because the breeze sets the direction, the company chooses the site on the day from the forecast, picking whichever should give the longest safe flight.
Sundance's Kitchener-Waterloo page names nearby sights rather than a flight path: St. Jacobs Country along the Conestoga River, the St. Jacobs Farmers Market, Centre In The Square, and the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Its balloons fly anywhere from treetop height to 2,500 feet, with many photos taken from about 500 feet. Turning vents let the pilot rotate the balloon so everyone gets a full 360-degree view.
Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides meets at sunrise, roughly 4:30 to 7:30 am depending on the month, and for evening flights two to three hours before sunset, roughly 4:00 to 6:30 pm. Its flight status line (1 888 314 4666) is updated between 10:30 and 11:00 pm the night before a morning flight, with the decision after 11:00 pm. For evening flights the line is updated at 2:15 to 2:30 pm on the day, and the call comes about two hours before the meeting time.
Sundance flies at sunrise and about two hours before sunset, and passengers ring its own status line, (519) 896-3434, for the go or no-go and the meeting site. Both operators quote 3 to 4 hours in total and about an hour in the air. Sundance's flights run from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, and it notes that the combined weight of the passengers affects how long a flight lasts. Ontario Hot Air invites passengers to help set up and pack away the balloon.
On landing, Ontario Hot Air's pilots use a parachute deflation system to hold the balloon down until the retrieve crew arrives, and passengers ride back to the launch site. Each passenger gets a personalised certificate signed by the pilot. Sundance's chase crew follows from lift-off and returns everyone to the launch location. Its city page and FAQ still say the post-flight champagne is temporarily suspended, part of a COVID-19 notice on its pricing page.
Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides flies from about May 25 to October 6, seven days a week, mornings and evenings, weather permitting. Sundance lists May to October. Neither flies at midday, which Sundance says is because thermals make the air unstable. Its limits are winds under 10 knots, no rain or approaching storms, and at least 4 km of visibility. Ontario Hot Air says its morning flights are cancelled less often than its evening flights.
Sundance says some passengers are cancelled several times before they fly. It also grounds flights for equipment faults or pilot illness, reschedules online or by phone, and extends vouchers that go unused in a season to the following spring. Ontario Hot Air rebooks weather cancellations for another day, needs seven days' notice to move a date and extends a voucher by 9 months for a pregnancy.
Sundance Balloons sells Kitchener-Waterloo vouchers on sale at CAD 250 for a weekday morning, CAD 300 for a Monday to Thursday evening and CAD 320 for any time, plus HST. Regular prices are CAD 325, 375 and 395, and four or more vouchers cost CAD 10 less each. Vouchers are non-refundable but can go to another person or another Sundance city. Its balloons, 210,000 to 310,000 cubic feet, usually carry 8 to 12 passengers.
Ontario Hot Air Balloon Rides flies a standard group of 8 in a basket about 1.1 m (42 in) high, divided into compartments. Shared seats cost CAD 275 on weekday mornings, CAD 300 on weekday evenings and CAD 320 any time, plus tax, and a private flight for two costs CAD 1,345 to CAD 1,545. Tickets are prepaid and non-refundable. The company says it will match local competitors' prices.
Sundance does not fly children under 8. Ontario Hot Air takes them from 10 and 1.4 m (4 ft 6 in), with under-16s accompanied by an adult, and cannot fly anyone over 114 kg; Sundance's FAQ gives no weight limit. Neither flies pregnant passengers. Both expect passengers to climb in and out of the basket and stand for the whole flight, and Sundance turns away anyone with recent surgery or hip, back or knee problems.
from C$250 per person
Weekday Morning Flight and 2 more options
Lists flights in nine Canadian cities, including Calgary, Ottawa and London, Ontario
from C$275 per person
Shared Flight and 1 more option
Family business; says it will match local competitors' prices and price guarantees
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 21, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.