Steamboat Hot-Air-Balloon Rodeo

The Wild West meets mountain whimsy (a la the Sound of Music) this weekend at Steamboat’s 29th-annual hot-air-balloon festival.

The three days of entertainment begin tonight with a professional rodeo (bareback riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing), and transition into a colorful hot-air-balloon launch over the weekend. In the early morning air, watch more than 40 balloons rise over the crystal waters of Bald Eagle Lake.

Fri-Sun, July 10-12: Fri 7:30 p.m.; Sat-Sun 7-9:30 a.m. Free

Bald Eagle Lake, 35565 S. Hwy. 40, Steamboat Springs, 970-879-0880

More like it: Winter Park Music Festival, Sat, Jul 11 | Steamboat’s Art in the Park, Sat-Sun, Jul 11-12