10 Photos Remembering the 'Balloon Fest' That Totally Turned Cleveland Upside Down

The mistake on the lake

Published 3 months ago in Wow

On September 27, 1986, Cleveland, Ohio, proved that the road to Hades truly is paved with good intentions after their highly-publicized balloon-releasing stunt went spectacularly awry.

Attempting to nab a Guinness World Record, the city found itself in crisis, facing pollution, lawsuits, and angry residents after its failed attempt to distinguish itself as a world-class locale spectacularly backfired.

From its well-meaning origins to its lasting legacy, here are 10 photos remembering Cleveland's infamous Balloonfest '86.

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Balloons may often be a sign of celebration, but they were a symbol of tragedy on one fateful day in Cleveland, Ohio.

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Like many ill-advised historical incidents, Balloonfest ’86 was fueled by good intentions. Cleveland was looking for a way to bolster its reputation beyond its moniker of “the mistake on the lake,” and decided that a world record breaking balloon launch would do the trick.

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Organized by a local chapter of United Way, 2,500 volunteers spent hours inflating balloons for the highly-publicized event.
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These volunteers worked "like an assembly line, non-stop,” as one attendee put it, in exchange for free t-shirts and highly-coveted bragging rights.

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The nonprofit had originally eyed releasing two million balloons for the occasion — Disney held the existing record after letting more than 1 million balloons loose over Disneyland in 1985 — but scaled back their vision. They corralled upwards of 1.4 million balloons in downtown Cleveland’s Public Square.
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Due to an approaching weather system, organizers decided to release the balloons ahead of schedule. Sparking cheers from the crowd of roughly 100,000 people, the excitement surrounding the record-breaking launch was short-lived as the balloons began wreaking havoc on the Ohio city.
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Faced with cool air and the approaching storm, many of the balloons plummeted back to earth while still filled with helium, littering the ground with plastic debris. This tidbit came as a surprise to several locals, who believed “the balloons would reach an altitude where they popped and disintegrated.”

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Alongside creating dangerous driving conditions for motorists and sparking a few accidents, the balloons briefly shuttered a runway at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport, where an onslaught of balloons prevented normal traffic.
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The balloons also caused problems on nearby Lake Erie. Contributing to water pollution, they also complicated a search for two fishermen who had been reported missing the day of the release. The brightly-colored plastic of the balloons made it harder for rescuers to spot the missing sailors, and the pair were ultimately found dead a few days later.
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Though initially recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records, the group stopped measuring balloon releases shortly after the incident. When all was said and done, The United Way lost money from the stunt due to lawsuits and cost overruns.