Balloons over Waikato Nightglow: Dates and times for free ticket releases

The Nightglow will open the annual Balloons over Waikato Festival on Saturday March 21 at the University of Waikato. Photo / Balloons Over Waikato

Free tickets for Balloons over Waikato’s Nightglow will be released across a series of days and times this year, rather than a single ballot.

The event organisers said they decided on this “staggered approach” to support fair access and reduce scalping risks.

The first of eight scheduled ticket releases will be at 10am on Wednesday, December 3.

For the first time, there will also be a dedicated ticket allocation for Waikato schools, ensuring students have the opportunity to attend.

Schools will receive unique redemption codes linked to enrolment data.

“We know how much this event means to our community,” Balloons Over Waikato chairman Steve Gow said.

“Staggering the releases across different days and times gives everyone a genuine opportunity to secure tickets and keeps Zuru Nightglow accessible for all.”

Attendees can secure up to eight tickets per release and all tickets are free and available exclusively through Universe, the official ticketing partner for Balloons Over Waikato.

Universe will support the full distribution process, including unique ticket IDs and scalping protection measures.

The Nightglow will open the annual Balloons over Waikato Festival on Saturday March 21 at the University of Waikato.

There will be live music, food vendors, carnival rides and the iconic choreographed balloon glow, finishing with the SkyCity Fireworks Extravaganza.

Seven further ticket releases will follow in December, January and February:

• December 10, 8pm
• January 14, 4pm
• January 18, 9am
• January 30, 1pm
• February 2, 10pm
• February 10, 5am
• February 21, 2pm

For more details, including FAQs and ticketing timelines, visit balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz and check out the Balloons Over Waikato social media channels.