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Ride Metro to the 44th Annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race and Balloon Glow on September 16 and 17

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race and Balloon Glow attracts tens of thousands of people to Forest Park every year, and Metro is a convenient way to get to all of the fun and excitement. Those planning to go to the balloon events can park at any one of 21 free Metro Park-Ride lots in Missouri and Illinois, and take MetroLink or MetroBus to get to the festivities while avoiding heavy traffic, parking issues and road closures.

Balloon Glow – Friday, September 16

Metro will operate additional MetroLink trains as needed during the evening on Friday, September 16, to accommodate the large crowds anticipated for this year’s Balloon Glow at Central Field in Forest Park. The Balloon Glow is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with fireworks at 9:15 p.m.

Spectators headed to the Balloon Glow on MetroLink can take the train to the Central West End MetroLink Station. From there, they should walk north on Euclid and then west on Children’s Place, crossing Kingshighway into Forest Park to Central Field. Another option is to ride MetroLink to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station, then walk south on DeBaliviere toward the Missouri History Museum and then east past the Visitors Center toward the Muny to Central Field. Both MetroLink stations are about one mile from Central Field.

Park visitors can also use MetroBus to connect with these two stations. The #1 Gold and #90 Hampton MetroBus routes serve the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station, and the #1 Gold, #10 Gravois-Lindell, #13 Union, #14 Botanical Garden, #18 Taylor, #42 Sarah, #59 Dogtown, #80 Park Shaw, and #95 Kingshighway MetroBus routes serve the Central West End MetroLink Station. Metro will NOT be operating special bus shuttle service to or from the balloon glow event.

Great Forest Park Balloon Race – Saturday, September 17

The Great Forest Park Balloon Race is scheduled from noon to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 17, at Central Field in Forest Park. Spectators headed to the event can ride MetroLink or MetroBus to the Central West End or Forest Park-DeBaliviere Stations, and walk to the race grounds at Central Field. Metro will NOT be operating special bus shuttle service to or from the balloon race event.

To plan your trip to the 44th Annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race or Balloon Glow on Metro, download the Metro On The Go app to your mobile device, visit metrostlouis.org to use the online TripPlanner or access transit schedules, or contact Metro Transit Information at 314-231-2345 or 618-271-2345, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

About Metro

Metro is the operator of the St. Louis region’s public transportation system, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 399 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 78 MetroBus routes in Missouri and Illinois; and Metro Call‑A‑Ride, a paratransit fleet of 122 vans. Metro is an enterprise of Bi-State Development (BSD), which also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center and Gateway Arch trams. BSD also operates the Bi-State Development Research Institute and the St. Louis Regional Freightway.