Page Happenings: October 2026, and Your Balloon Regatta Guide
By The Wesley Team · 6 min read
October is the month Page gets good and stays quiet, right up until it does not. The Balloon Regatta lands in early November and takes the whole town with it.
Here is what is on, what the conditions actually are, and how to plan around the biggest weekend of the year.
Confirmed for October
Outdoor Market on Elm. Second and fourth Saturday of every month, daytime. In October that is Saturday the 10th and Saturday the 24th. [1] Local makers, food, produce. It is small and it is the best hour you will spend meeting anybody who actually lives here. It is where our front desk sends every guest who asks what to do on a Saturday morning.
That is the honest list. The city had not posted the rest of October when we wrote this.
Two things that run most months and are likely but not yet listed:
Stargazing at Horseshoe Bend. The city has been running evening editions of this through the year. Unconfirmed for October. If it runs, take it. Page has genuinely dark skies and the rim after dark is a completely different place than the rim at sunset.
Oktoberfest. Third-party listings have pointed at the last weekend of September in past years. Unconfirmed, and possibly outside this window entirely.
Check events.cityofpage.org before you build a day around either. We will update this post when the city posts.
The Balloon Regatta: November 5 to 8, 2026
This is the one to plan around. [2]
What it is. Four days of hot air ballooning over Page, with mass ascensions in the mornings, a balloon glow after dark, and a street fair downtown run by the Page Chamber. It has been running for more than two decades and it is by a wide margin the busiest weekend of the Page year.
What to actually do, in order of what people regret missing:
The morning mass ascension. Balloons launch early, because that is when the air is calm. Early means dark and cold. Go anyway. This is the thing.
The balloon glow. Balloons inflated and lit on the ground after sunset. Easier to attend than the dawn launch and the better photograph.
The street fair. Downtown, vendors, food. Worth an afternoon.
How to not have a bad time:
Book lodging now. Not soon. Now. The whole town books out for Regatta weekend, and that includes us. This is the single most useful sentence in this post.
Dress for 30°F at dawn and 60°F by lunch. The temperature swing in early November is severe.
Arrive at the launch field earlier than feels reasonable. Parking is the constraint.
Balloons are weather-dependent. Wind cancels a launch, and it happens. If a morning gets called off, the schedule usually offers another. Do not build a one-night trip around a single ascension.
Where the Regatta sits in a longer trip. If you are already doing the loop, this is a good week to be in Page. See The 7-Day Grand Circle Road Trip for how the rest of it fits.
Conditions right now
Weather. October highs around 76°F, lows around 51°F, and highs slide from the high 70s toward the mid 60s across the month. [3] November drops fast from there.
Lake Powell. Around 3,518 feet as of the end of September, roughly 21 to 22% of capacity, and still falling. [4] Above minimum power pool, but low. Ramp access in the Page area is restricted and has been all year. If you are trailering a boat, check ramp status with the Park Service the week you travel. Do not trust any blog on this, including this one, because it changes.
Antelope Canyon. Light beam season is finished by early October. [5] Tours still run and the canyon is still worth it, with better colour and fewer people. Book one to two months ahead, which for a November trip means booking in roughly September or October.
Horseshoe Bend. $10 per vehicle. Gate opens at sunrise and stops admitting at sunset. October and November are the easiest months of the year for parking.
The Wave and White Pocket. Prime season. Cool enough to hike, dry enough for the sand road out to White Pocket.
A note from us, since it is Grand Opening month
Our Grand Opening was September 25. It came later than we said it would, and it came with the building not entirely finished, which we wrote about honestly in the story of how we bought the building.
We are not going to list a set of amenities here that do not exist yet. This town has seen enough signs advertising things that were not there anymore.
What is true in October: renovated rooms are open and bookable, more come online every few weeks, and the pool is open and unheated, which in October is exactly right.
Go deeper
City of Page events calendar is the primary source. When in doubt, this or the printed magazine.
Visit Page AZ for the tourism office's version, which sometimes carries events the city calendar misses.
Page Chamber Street Fair for the Regatta street fair specifically.
NPS Glen Canyon conditions for ramps and closures.
FAQ
When is the Page Balloon Regatta 2026?
November 5 to 8, 2026.
Do I need tickets for the Balloon Regatta?
No. The mass ascensions, the glow and the street fair are all free to watch.
Can I ride in a balloon at the Regatta?
Not as a member of the public, and this is the most common disappointment of the weekend. Flights come with business sponsorships rather than tickets, they happen on Saturday morning only, they depend on weather and on the individual pilot, and sponsorship registration closes in early October. The free alternative is to volunteer as crew on the launch field in the morning.
What is happening in Page in October 2026?
Confirmed: Outdoor Market on Elm on October 10 and 24. The city had not published the rest of the month at the time of writing. Check events.cityofpage.org.
Is Antelope Canyon open in October?
Yes. The light beams end in early October, but tours run year round and the canyon is less crowded.
How far ahead should I book a room for Regatta weekend?
Months. It is the busiest weekend of the year in Page and the town sells out.
Is the pool at The Wesley open in October?
Yes. It is not heated, and in October that is pleasant rather than a problem.
The Perfect 48 Hours in Page. The two-day plan our front desk actually hands people. Free.
Book direct
Regatta weekend books out. If you are coming November 5 to 8, book now.
Book direct for our best rate. Two night minimum, free cancellation up to seven days out. Direct only.
Check dates at thewesleyaz.com or call (928) 612-3300.
Written by The Wesley Team, the people who run the only boutique hotel in Page.
Footnotes
Outdoor Market on Elm, second and fourth Saturday of every month, per the City of Page events site, which as of October 2026 publishes it as 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Times are not printed in the body on purpose; take them from the City calendar. October 2026 dates calculated from that schedule and should be spot-checked against the posted calendar.
Page, AZ Balloon Regatta, November 5 to 8, 2026, listed on the City of Page events homepage, verified September 2026.
Page, Arizona October climate normals.
Lake Powell elevation 3,518.08 feet on September 30, 2026 per the National Park Service; about 22% of live capacity at end of August per the Bureau of Reclamation, whose September 2026 24-Month Study projects further decline during water year 2027. Only two ramps lake-wide are open to motorised launching.
Antelope Canyon light beams fade in early October; peak season is April through early September.
The Wesley is open, with new rooms available now. Grand Opening September 25th. Pardon our dust while we finish the rest.
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The Wesley is open, with new rooms available now. Grand Opening September 25th. Pardon our dust while we finish the rest.
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The Wesley is open, with new rooms available now. Grand Opening September 25th. Pardon our dust while we finish the rest.
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