Free Bike Valet at Labor Day Lift Off
Skip the Parking Search, Park Your Bike, and Pick Up a Coffee
Labor Day Lift Off is back in Colorado Springs and if you’ve been before, you know the drill: hot air balloons filling the sky just after sunrise, a stunning balloon glow in the evenings, drone shows, live music, family-friendly activities, and a whole weekend built for looking up and around. What you might not know is that there’s a much better way to get there than circling the neighborhood for a parking spot at 6:00 a.m.
PikeRide, your local nonprofit bike share, is partnering with Kangaroo Coffee to host a free bike valet right at the entrance of the festival (by the tennis courts in Memorial Park), so you can pedal past lines of traffic while the air is still cool, and hand off your bike to us for safe keeping the minute you arrive. Kangaroo Coffee will be pouring hot and cold beverages and serving delectable treats at our valet (including warm kolaches and treats from Gold Star Bakery and Donut Mill), so you can drop off your bike and already be exploring the festivities with a coffee in hand, all in a fraction of the time it would have taken to find a parking spot and walk multiple blocks to the park.
What is Labor Day Lift Off?
Labor Day Lift Off is Colorado Springs’ annual hot air balloon festival located in Memorial Park over Labor Day weekend from September 5th through September 7th, 2026.
From Saturday to Monday morning, hot air balloons will lift off around 7 a.m. in good weather. On Saturday and Sunday evening, a balloon glow will begin at 7 P.M. and be followed by a drone show at 9 P.M.
The free bike valet will be open each day from 5 A.M. to 10 A.M., and 3:30 P.M. to 10 P.M. on Saturday and Sunday, to match the hours the park will be open for concessions and other activities.
See the full schedule here, which includes information on live music, beer and mimosa gardens, paddle boarding, and more.
A Lighter Way to Lift Off
Everyone who swaps a car trip for a bike ride reduces car traffic and emissions, which might seem small, but it’s a choice that adds up when hundreds of people make it over the weekend. Not only can you feel good about starting your day in a sustainable way, but enjoying a ride is proven to boost your mood and improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
Plus, you’ll make more fun memories on a bike than driving in, and might even decide to make this your new annual tradition.
Every bike parked at our Labor Day Lift Off bike valet demonstrates that our community values sustainable transportation options and more connected ways of getting around, and every beverage or treat purchased from Kangaroo Coffee supports a local, organic coffee shop that champions sustainability in all aspects of their operations.
Deeply committed to sustainability, Kangaroo Coffee works towards their Zero Waste Initiative, reducing waste through donating to local food banks, composting, and recycling.
They also ethically source their coffee beans to support sustainable and ethical agriculture, reducing the use of harmful chemicals, and supporting the people growing the coffee.
As your local nonprofit bike share, PikeRide hosts multiple community bike valets each year to reduce traffic congestion, make sustainable transportation more practical, and make it easier for more neighbors to connect with others in their community. We’ve teamed up with Kangaroo Coffee because they share our values of sustainability, connection, and building a thriving community that we want to live in.
Labor Day Weekend Itinerary: From Sunrise Lift Off to Sunset Balloon Glow
Attend the morning lift off, the evening balloon glow, or both! Whatever you decide, we recommend stopping by Kangaroo Coffee’s Hillside location (with a PikeRide station on-site) for live music and a caffeine boost at some point throughout the day.
5:00 - 6:00 A.M. Enjoy a crisp morning ride as the sun rises. Park your bike at the free Labor Day Lift Off bike valet, pick up a hot coffee and Gold Star Bakery muffin or cookie from Kangaroo Coffee at our booth and head to the festival. They’ll be serving hot drip coffee, cold brew, peachy chai (hot and iced), hot chocolate, and more plus an assortment of milks and syrups.
6:30 A.M. Walk around the park sipping on your coffee or tea, enjoy the opening ceremony before the balloons take off at 7 A.M.
7:00 A.M. - 10:00 A.M. Find a shady spot in the grass to watch the hot air balloons before exploring festival activities including a silent disco, a beer and mimosa garden, and SUP Colorado Springs Stand Up Paddle Boarding. Retrieve your bike by 10:00 A.M.
10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. Bike to Kangaroo Coffee’s Hillside location, just on the outskirts of Memorial Park, to enjoy live music at the Jazz Jam from 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. and again from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Saturday. Grab a breakfast burrito and settle in with a coffee or cold beverage while enjoying live music.
3:30 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Park your bike or a PikeRide at the free bike valet and purchase a cold drink from Kangaroo Coffee at our booth. Cool down with a Roofresher, cold brew, lemonade, iced chai, or another great option being served for the evening session. Snack on a tasty kolache or Gold Star Bakery chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal cookie, butterscotch bar, or brownie. Explore festivities and displays including acrobats, a beer and mimosa garden, a DJ, live music, and more.
7:00 P.M. Explore the balloon glow, take photos with your friends and family, and return to the bike valet booth any time someone in your group needs a caffeinated pick-me-up.
9:30 P.M. Find a spot where you can see the sky as the drone show begins. Return to the valet before 10:00 P.M. to retrieve your bike and enjoy an evening ride home.
No bike? No problem. Get the PikeRide app to scan a public electric bike, hop on, and park it right at our valet. It will be held for you while you enjoy the hot air balloon festival, so you don’t have to worry about not having an available bike when you are ready to head out.
Don’t live near downtown Colorado Springs? You can drive downtown, park at any city parking garage for just $1 an hour (free on Sundays), and unlock a PikeRide ebike to pedal your way the last few mile or two to the balloon festival.
Labor Day Lift Off Parking Information
If you can’t make it to the bike valet this Labor Day Lift Off, car parking and parking passes are available. See the Labor Day Lift Off parking map and pricing information.
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Bike valet is a secure way to park your bike at local events. Simply ride up to the valet, we’ll hand you a valet ticket and hold on to your bike, and you can enjoy your event without worrying about locking your bike to a public bike rack.
Staff will inform you of bike valet hours, please return to pick up your bike before the valet closes. All bikes left after closing will be held onto by PikeRide and can be retrieved by contacting our office at 719-235-5862.
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Find our Labor Day Lift Off bike valet booth in Memorial Park along Farragut Ave between the tennis courts and restrooms. This will be north east of Prospect Lake. Look for a purple PikeRide tent!
We host 30+ free bike valets at local events year-round. See our calendar on our Bike Valet page.
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Bike valet is FREE! PikeRide is a local nonprofit bike share closing the transportation gap in Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. Tips are welcome.
Kangaroo Coffee beverages and treats will be available for purchase at our bike valet. Make sure to grab a coffee, tea, or treat before heading into the festival!
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All public PikeRide ebikes, personal bicycles (including children's’ bikes, cargo bikes, adaptive bikes and recumbents), personal electric bikes (no e-motos), and personal electric scooters are accepted.
Not accepted: E-motos, Lime scooters, and anything with a combustion engine will NOT be permitted at our bike valet.
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Kangaroo Coffee will be pouring their signature beverages and serving treats from Gold Star Bakery and Donut Mill.
Morning Menu:
Drip coffee, Cold Brew, Peachy Chai (hot and iced), Golden milk samples, Hot Chocolate, Lemonade
Syrups and Milks: vanilla, caramel, sugar free vanilla, sugar free caramel, cane sugar, half and half, oat milk, whole milk
Donut Mill treats, Gold Star Bakery baked goods (blueberry muffins, apple muffins, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies)
Afternoon Menu:
Lemonade, Blood Orange Coconut Ginger Roofresher, Watermelon Cucumber Mint Roofresher, Drip Coffee, Peachy Chai (iced), Cold Brew, Hot Chocolate
Syrups and Milks: vanilla, caramel, sugar free vanilla, sugar free caramel, cane sugar, half and half, oat milk, whole milk
Kolaches, Gold Star Bakery baked goods (chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, butterscotch bars, brownies)
Monday Menu:
Drip coffee, Cold Brew, Peachy Chai (hot and iced), Golden milk (hot), Hot chocolate, Lemonade, Watermelon Cucumber Mint Roofresher
Syrups and Milks: vanilla, caramel, sugar free vanilla, sugar free caramel, cane sugar, half and half, oat milk, whole milk
Donut Mill treats, Gold Star Bakery baked goods (blueberry muffins, apple muffins, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, butterscotch bars, brownies)