Comprehensive, up-to-date, free listing of hot air balloon events, fiestas and festivals for balloon enthusiasts, spotters, pilots, crews and the public in Britain & abroad
UK & Worldwide Hot Air Balloon Festival List: 2015 Updated: 23 Sept 2015
FUTURE EVENTS: 12
Balloon enthusiasts: find out where to see hot air balloons and gas balloons! Contact the event directly for more info
Forthcoming events are below.
Date Event Name Where Organiser Details/Contact Other Information
2015
September
25-27 September Women's Meet Bicester, Bucks, UK animalmo@lycos.com
29 Sept - 2 Oct Gilboa International Balloon Festival Gidona, Israel www.hagilboa.org.il
October
2-4 October One Man Meet Tissington, Derbyshire, UK onemanmeet@btinternet.com
3-12 October Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta New Mexico, USA www.balloonfiesta.com
9-11 October Autumn Gold Balloon Meet Thornton-le-Dale, N Yorks, UK prba.org.uk
9-11 October Impossible Dream Balloon Meet Vencimont, Belgium www.aerovolare.be
16-18 October Balloons over Mt Vernon Mt Vernon, Illinois, USA www.balloonsovermtvernon.com
30 October - 1 November The Sky's The Limit Balloon Spectacular Gainesville, Texas, USA www.theskysthelimit.org
Note date change
November
6-8 November Rassemblement international de montgolfieres Le Puy en Velay, France guerin.jm@wanadoo.fr
13-15 November Humber Bridge Meet Leven, E Yorks, UK prba.org.uk
2016
February
6-13 February Balloonalps Zell-am-Zee, Kaprun, Austria www.balloonalps.com
August
19-21 August Mosel Balloon Fiesta Trier, Germany www.moselballonfiesta.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The balloon fiesta began in 1972 in a mall parking lot. The early events were organized and largely funded by the late Sid Cutter, who soon enlisted friends, aviation customers and politicians to help sustain the event. The city bought into it, hundreds of volunteers signed up and 170 balloons showed up for the fourth fiesta. Nearly three decades later, the fiesta marked record attendance at 1,000 balloons, and the event has become a fall tourism staple for the state.
A LITTLE HISTORY
The Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum sits at the southern edge of balloon fiesta park. Inside are towering displays highlighting the equipment used by some of ballooning's pioneers, including the Double Eagle crew of Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman who spent 137 hours crossing the Atlantic in 1978. One of the newest installations is that of the Two Eagles capsule used earlier this year by Troy Bradley of Albuquerque and Leonid Tiukhtyaev (too-kh-TY'-yev) of Russia in their record-breaking trans-Pacific flight.
LBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Hundreds of colorful hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes and from all over the world will be lifting off this weekend for the start of the 44th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The nine-day fiesta — one of the most photographed events in the world — will begin Saturday just after the sun rises as wave after wave of balloons take to the sky as part of the first mass ascension.
"Having 550 hot air balloons up in the air at once, that just doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. So this is, absolutely without a doubt, the Super Bowl of hot air ballooning," said Scott Appelman, a veteran pilot and founder of the balloon ride company Rainbow Ryders Inc.
Then there are the special shape rodeos, balloon glows in the evenings, flying competitions, a cross-country gas balloon race, and splash-and-dash flights along the Rio Grande.
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Saturday kicks off the 44th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The annual event draws hundreds of thousands from all over the world and this year won’t be any different. But organizers do have a few new attractions they’ll bring to the field.
You’ve probably heard about new special shape balloons this year and, of course, there’s the new pavilion that was built in the off-season. Yet, organizers are also planning a few more surprises.
A lazer show is set to accompany dawn patrol this year. In addition to the gentle glows lighting up the sky into the sky, you’ll also see lazers bouncing off the sides of balloons.
Plus, there’s a unique acrobatics show scheduled. It’s called parabatics. Imagine motorized parachutes on a course similar to slalom ski. Organizers say it’ll be kind of like a race in the sky.
What’s more, they’re able to operate when balloons can’t.
“If the winds are too high for the balloons to fly on any given morning, the parabatics can start their show immediately. The crowd will be able to see something even if the balloons are not able to fly,” said 2015 Balloonmeister Sam Parks.
These parabatics will also go up in the afternoons.
Hot air balloons lift off during the mass ascension at the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
The 44th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta will get underway on Saturday, Oct. 3, and calm weather conditions are ahead for the first day of the event, but stormy weather could cause problems on Sunday.
The fiesta, which continues through Oct. 11, will kickoff with the traditional mass ascension on Saturday morning from the 78-acre launch field at Balloon Fiesta Park, where over 500 balloons will take to the air in two separate, colorful waves.
The weather forecast is critically important for hot air ballooning, particularly when it comes to determining wind speed.
Guide for the public
Can see from the list of ballooning events on this site, can go and see balloons all over the world, and every balloon event is different.
Balloons normally fly in the mornings and evening when days are at their calmest and there are no thermic winds. In alpine areas or in winter you might also find balloons flying during the day. At organised events a popular display is a nightglow: balloons glowing in the dark by operating their yellow "whisper" burners.
Some events are ‘grassroots’ balloon meets, where balloonists gather on a field somewhere, go into a little huddle (the pilots’ briefing), then set up their balloons and fly off. Sometimes they have competitions and sometimes they just fly for fun.
Other events are big, commercial balloon festivals in city parks or at stately homes, where there are lots of other things to see and do and buy and eat and drink.
A few of the events are serious competitions. The pilots and observers will be concentrating very hard on the task in hand and there won’t be much for the public to do, apart from watching the launches.
The actual ballooning will be much the same at all the events. Balloons usually only fly just after sunrise and just before sunset. Quite often, launch times will be 6am and 6pm. The balloons may take off and disappear quite quickly. At the bigger, commercial events, they may tether on site during the day if the weather is favourable. In the evening there may be a nightglow scheduled at dusk or after dark.
Ballooning always depends on the weather. The windspeed is the crucial factor. If the trees are bending over and wind is whipping past , very unlikely to see balloons up. Rain may not deter the hardy few, if it’s light drizzle, but most private pilots won’t want to get their balloons wet. It's no fun trying to dry 100ft or so of soggy nylon in your living room! Flights may be cancelled in advance or even on the field if conditions are changeable. Or they may be delayed if conditions are expected to improve – for example, if the morning is foggy. This can be frustrating for both the public and the pilots, but safety is always the priority. A very famous saying in aviation is: It's better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.
At some gatherings, a balloon basket might be set up during the day so that the public can have a look inside and ask the crew and pilot questions. If you are interested in finding out more about ballooning, or you want to get involved, the British Balloon and Airship Club (www.bbac.org) is the governing body in the British Isles. Most other countries have their own ballooning bodies, and there may well be a local club in your region. Follow a balloon and ask the pilot or crew!
Do take a camera or video, because balloons are very photogenic. Smile and wave at the balloonists, they will wave back! Balloon spotting is more common than you think............
Enjoy following balloons during a flight, please do so safely and keep eyes on the road! When the balloon has landed, unless it is on public parkland, please do not enter the field. It does belong to somebody. Please do not park vehicle where it may block the way for other road users, especially on narrow lanes. It is the duty of the retrieve crew to find the farmer or landowner to arrange the recovery of the balloon. Feel free to approach the crew on the road. They may be very glad of an extra pair of hands to help with the recovery and packing away.
https://youtu.be/EfrvpvkczBI
http://www.balloonevents.org/
http://www.balloonfiesta.com Contd.......
No comments:
Post a Comment