While the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be the smallest in 20 years, there are still plenty of events lined up for this year’s celebration.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival ramps up Friday with the annual Balloon Classic on the Stark Campus of Kent State University.
This year, four new members are being inducted into the Hall of Fame — Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, who played college football at Kent State University, and Sterling Sharpe.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the annual Balloon Classic. It was added to the lineup of festivities after the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, which organizes most of the week’s events, was asked to offer more affordable events for the public, said co-founder Maury Sullivan.
Since its launch in 1985, the Balloon Classic has served as a kickoff to enshrinement festivities, Sullivan said. The balloon launch and race can be enjoyed by anyone in the area – not just those who attend the event, he said.
“The crowds that we get attending at [Kent State Stark] only tells a part of the story because the unique thing about ballooning and balloons flying is they don't stay in one place,” said Sullivan. “They get up, they go fly, they land in neighborhoods and all over the county. So, it really touches tens of thousands of people because of the nature of the event.”
Some of Sullivan's favorite hot air balloons over the years have been Klondike’s giant bear and Burger King’s flying burger.
The yearly showcase attracts over 130,000 spectators, according to the webpage for the Balloon Classic.
This year, the chamber is bringing back a Drone Light Show and adding a ticketed VIP lounge and craft vendors to the event, said Darla Brown, the chamber's vice president of marketing and strategy.
“So (the Balloon Classic) does become synonymous with like that exciting time of year where our city is full, we've got, you know, our best foot forward for all of the out of towners coming in and really put on a good party for the community,” Brown said.
The chamber and Pro Football Hall of Fame worked together on the addition of Fan Fest ‘25 to the event lineup, which runs from July 31 through Aug. 3.
The event will take place outside the Pro Football Hall of Fame and feature live music, food trucks, children’s activities, giveaways and opportunities to meet hall of famers, said Rich Desrosiers, chief communications and content officer for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Inspiration for Fan Fest came from visitor experiences at other larger-scale sporting events like the Kentucky Derby and the Masters Tournament, Desrosiers said.
“The end goal is really to make enshrinement week something that is more than the ticketed events,” said Desrosiers. “[For] people who don't necessarily have a rooting interest in the teams playing in the game or the individuals that are being enshrined ... to just make it a celebration and kind of a party atmosphere.
The enshrinement festival is an annual economic driver in Northeast Ohio, as Brown estimates it will have a $43 million impact on Canton and Stark County. Statewide, the estimated economic impact is $77 million, Brown added.
The festival also benefits surrounding counties, allowing both cities and businesses “to show people what they have to offer,” Desrosiers said.
“I think a great indirect benefit for just the exposure that it gives Northeast Ohio,” Desrosiers said. “It's a chance for the sporting world, particularly the football sporting fan, [to focus on] on Canton, Ohio for a period of a couple of days. And that kind of publicity and that kind of opportunity is another thing that makes these events so important.”
Enshrinement week events, which began on July 20 with the community parade, conclude on Aug. 4.
