Events are centered around competitive races of up to 60 hot-air balloonist from across the country. Seventeen balloonists from Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana attended the first festival. Annual event has always had a policy of no admission fee. Average participation is now 60 balloonists with crowd attendance averaging in excess of 50,000 for the three-day festival. The Alabama Jubilee is unique in that it allows for the crowd to mingle with the pilots while the 7-story tall balloons are being inflated.
Audience participation is encouraged through service on crew teams and chase crews.
The City of Decatur was one of the first municipalities in the nation to acquire, maintain and fly their own hot-air balloon according to research by a South Dakota firm which built the Decatur balloon. The life of an envelope is between 250 and 300 flight hours. The Alabama Jubilee Hot-Air Balloon Classic has always been coordinated and staged by local volunteers. 719 6th Ave. 719 6th Ave.