Medora, North Dakota is a summer destination that's well-loved by many. As summer comes to a close, so does many of the activities in the town. Seasonal businesses close until next year and the famous Medora Musical ends another summer of fun. You can celebrate the final showing of the musical for 2020 during an annual event: the Medora Hot Air Balloon Festival! There's nothing quite as stunning as colorful balloons and kites flying over the equally colorful badlands. Here's all you need to know about this year's hot air balloon festival in North Dakota:

Celebrate the finale weekend of the Medora Musical and witness a spectacular North Dakota site at the 18th Annual Medora Hot Air Balloon Rally in 2020.

Happening on the weekend of September 12-13th, this rally is going to be the best yet, with the most hot air balloons in the air at one time over North Dakota ever.

See the balloons gracefully float over the scenic badlands in the early morning light on both Saturday and Sunday. There's no other sight quite like it in the entire state any other time of the year, so now is your opportunity to see it.

You'll have to get up early for this one, but it's so worth it. The balloons take off at about 6:30 AM each day and are taken wherever the wind desires before landing at about 8:00 AM.

Along with the hot air balloons, Medora hosts the Badlands Kite Fest for kite enthusiasts and casual kite fliers alike. There's no doubt: this weekend will have the most colorful skies over western ND!

You can see the balloons from miles away, so feel free to hang out in Medora, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, or just in the area to witness them.

Don't forget about the musical: this whole event is to celebrate their final showing for the season, and for this weekend only, kids 17 and under can go for free! Enjoy the balloons, a day in Medora, and finish it out with the spectacular musical.

If you'd like to experience the 18th Annual Medora Hot Air Balloon Rally (and we highly recommend you do), you can find more information about the event and how to reserve tickets for the musical on this website. The Medora site also has information about the many other activities you can do while you fill your day there in between the morning balloons and the evening musical.

If you do plan on doing the whole event and musical combo, be sure to include the Pitchfork Steak Fondue for your dinner plans. This will be the closing weekend for that, as well, so get it in before it's too late!