Hyderabad Hot Air Balloon festival tickets sell out in minutes; more to be released on January 14

With tickets for the upcoming Hot Air Balloon Festival in Hyderabad selling out within minutes of their release, officials from Telangana Tourism have announced that a limited number of additional tickets will be made available on BookMyShow on Wednesday (January 14, 2026). The three-day festival is scheduled to be held from January 16 to 18.

Responding to queries over ticket availability, Telangana Tourism Development Corporation (TGTDC) Managing Director, Kranthi Valluru, said that while several slots had already been booked, the department had decided to release more tickets to meet the unexpected surge in demand. She said another 100 tickets, covering both morning and evening sessions, would be opened for booking. In total, around 400 tickets were allocated for evening rides, while 30 tickets have been set aside for morning flights.

Many people said they were unaware of when the tickets went live and were surprised to learn that they had already been sold out. “There was no clear intimation about the timing of the ticket release. I have been regularly tracking websites ever since I read news reports about the festival. When I checked today, it simply showed ‘sold out’. I am not even sure when the tickets were released,” said Muneef, a 29-year-old resident of Hyderabad.

The festival will be conducted in two sessions each day. Morning flights will last between 45 minutes and 1 hour, covering a distance of about 8 to 10 kilometres, depending on wind conditions. The maximum altitude for the flights has been fixed at 4,500 feet above sea level. As the balloons will land at locations different from their take-off points, vehicles will be arranged to transport participants back to the starting venue, she said.

The morning flight on January 16 is scheduled to take off from the Hyderabad Golf Club near Golconda Fort, with tickets priced at ₹2,000. The venues for the morning flights on January 17 and 18 have not yet been finalised and will be decided based on weather conditions and wind direction.

Evening sessions will be held at the Parade Ground in Secunderabad where tethered hot air balloons will be operated as night-glow displays. These rides will allow the balloon to move only vertically, going up and down, and will begin at 5 p.m. The tickets for this are priced at ₹15.