NJ Festival of Ballooning will happen after all

READINGTON — The former QuickCheck New Jersey Festival of Ballooning will live another year. thanks to a new title sponsorship.

Founder and organizer Howard Freeman told New Jersey 101.5 he will have "good news" to announce next week about a deal for he festival's title sponsorship, taking over from QuickChek, which gave up sponsorship after 27 years.

The 2020 festival is scheduled for July 24 to 26 at Solberg Airport in Readington, and tickets will go on sale once the sponsorship announcement is made.

Freeman had set a deadline of Jan. 31 for a sponsor to sign. or the festival would have gone on hiatus for the year. That date was set because bands and the attractions that come to the festival are setting their summer schedules, he said.

He granted himself an extension for the talks because a senior executive for his then-prospective sponsor was out of town.

The festival has raised more than $3 million for local charities and nonprofits, according to Freeman. It is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America with an estimated economic impact of $52.4 million.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ