How a Community Celebration Became Magic Over Murray
For two years, thousands knew this event as the Utah Hot Air Balloon Palooza. Then one question changed everything.
Was it really about the balloons?
Families came every September to watch colorful balloons rise over Murray. But over time, one question kept coming back.
Was this event really about hot air balloons… or was it about something much bigger?
Telling the whole story
We didn't change the name because the old one was wrong. We changed it because we wanted it to tell the whole story.
Magic Over Murray isn't simply about balloons. It's about wonder. It's about community. It's about traditions that families return to year after year — and creating memories that last a lifetime.
The moments that stay with me
I have watched hundreds of balloons launch. But that's not what stays with me. It's the little girl looking up with her mouth open in amazement. The volunteers laughing after sixteen-hour days. The pilot who lets a child climb into the basket for the first time. The couple who gets engaged.
Those are the moments that remind me why we do this. That's the magic.
— Kathy White, Co-Founder
