The Force will be in the skies over the Twin Cities this summer.

The Great Falls Balloon Festival will feature two “Star Wars”-themed specialty balloons at its 24th annual event in August.

Balloons featuring the heads of Darth Vader and Yoda will make their first appearance on the East Coast north of New Jersey at this year’s festival, scheduled for Aug. 19 to 21.

The theme for this year’s festival is “The Force Takes Flight,” said Morgan Hamlyn, president of the Great Falls Balloon Festival board of directors.

Besides the two “Star Wars” characters, the board is seeking one more specialty balloon for the Twin Cities.

“Our hope is for a few more balloons than we’ve had in the past,” Hamlyn said. “We’re hoping for more than 20 balloons.”

The balloons featuring the two “Star Wars” characters were constructed in Great Britain and are based in Belgium. Their designs were approved by Lucasfilm Ltd.

Made in 2007, the large Darth Vader balloon is 86 feet high, 69 feet wide and 78 feet deep.

Like the “Star Wars” films, the balloon was built in secrecy, with the name “Head One” attached to the project until the balloon’s initial flight.

Hamlyn, who saw the balloon at a festival a couple of years ago, said “it’s pretty impressive” in the sky next to the other balloons.

Saying they felt the need to balance the Force in the sky, the owners approached Lucasfilm for permission to build a new balloon based on the “Star Wars” character Yoda. The balloon debuted in 2014 at a festival in Albuquerque, N.M.

Sitting 62 feet high, 92 feet wide and 55 feet deep, the Master Yoda balloon is smaller than the Darth Vader balloon, using an estimated 60,000 cubic feet of hot air compared to Darth Vader’s 105,000 cubic feet.

Judging by the comments on the festival’s Facebook page, the “Star Wars” choice appears popular.

The balloons are scheduled to launch at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily during the three-day event, weather permitting.

ssherlock@sunjournal.com