The world’s largest helium balloon has everything in place for flights from Niagara Falls starting Saturday.
Operating seven days a week with flights from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., the Live! Inc. balloon can hold up to 30 people for 15-minute rides with breathtaking views out of 454 Main St. This is the first such attraction since Flight of Angels operated hot air balloon rides from 2001 to 2007 at 310 Rainbow Blvd.
“Because of our location, we have an amazing view that we can see from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario,” said Live! Inc.’s Attractions Marketing and Sales Manager Melissa Morinello.
Manufactured by the Paris-based Aerophile — who made the balloon used for the Paris Summer Olympics cauldron — this one is 115 feet tall and 72 feet wide. This ride is like one found in the Disney Springs area of Walt Disney World in Florida, also made by Aerophile, with the balloon tethered to the ground so it can be pulled back down.
President Michael DiCienzo, who also owns the Sheraton Niagara Falls on Third Street through American Niagara Hospitality, got the idea for the attraction after attending a trade show last year in Orlando, saw the Disney World balloon, and thought it would be a great addition to the area’s offerings.
Pilot Jason Gibb had told the Gazette that pilots spent two weeks this summer in Orlando getting trained, with safety inspections taking around half an hour before flights start. The staff has five pilots taking guests up between 400 and 500 feet in the air.
LED lights will light the balloon up and a timed playlist of music will play as it goes up, stays up, and comes down. On the ground, a building next to the landing area has on-site ticket kiosks and an office where employees can monitor the weather and the helicopter tours that fly around the Falls.
Originally planned to open earlier this summer, the new Buffalo Bills stadium construction diverted much of the available rebar, leaving smaller projects in the region to wait.
Morinello said that although operations are starting at the end of the family tourist season, they plan on operating through November and even during some nice days in the winter before the season starts in April.
“This balloon will be inflated 365 days of the year,” Morinello said, with high wind speeds and low air temperatures impacting how and when it can actually fly. “You never know what Western New York weather is going to bring us.”
Next door to the take-off area, Live! Inc. is working to turn the former Howard Johnson Hotel into a rcokstar-themed hotel. Called Hotel Live!, the $16 million hotel aims to open next June with a $1.5 million celebrity-endorsed restaurant and a $2.8 million outdoor theater for 2026. Canadian actors Dan Aykroyd and Kiefer Sutherland had been named as partners, with their Crystal Head Vodka and Red Bank Whiskey planned to be offered at the hotel.
The Live! Inc. website features a video of Aykroyd promoting the new balloon ride with complimentary cocktails at the Sheraton Hotel.
Standard ticket rates available on the Live! Inc. website are $50 for those ages 10 and older, $45 for those ages 2 to 9, and kids under 2 are free. Tickets for the fireworks flight at 10 p.m. cost $70 and last until the Niagara Falls State Park fireworks stop on Oct. 14.
Western New York residents can get a discounted rate of $25 for those ages 2 and up through the first weekend of November. They just have to enter “Local” in the promo code option when ordering tickets online.