Please send details of your event to info@balloonevents.org for inclusion here
| Date | Event Name | Where | Organiser Details/Contact | Other Information | |
| 2009 | |||||
| June | |||||
| 24-28 June | Croatia Balloon Rally 2009 | Croatia | www.baloni.hr | Note change of date | |
| 26-28 June | Michigan Challenge Balloon Festival | Howell, Michigan, USA | mtokan@howell.org | ||
| 26-28 June | Angel Fire Balloon Festival | New Mexico, USA | patsy@balloonclassic.com | ||
| 26-28 June | Festival Mongolfiere sul Balcone | Cingoli, Macerata, Italy | info@mongolfiere.it | ||
| 26-28 June | Capesthorpe Hall Balloon Festival | Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK | www.nwbac.com | ||
| 27 June | Husbands Bosworth Festival | Leicestershire, UK | jocla870@aol.com | ||
| July | |||||
| 1-5 July | Battle Creek Balloon Festival | Michigan, USA | www.bcballoons.com | ||
| 3-5 July | Sunrise Balloon Rally | Lexington, USA | mondriver@comcast.net | Commercial pilots only | |
| 4-11 July | Australian Nationals | Benalla, Victoria, Australia | www.abf.net.au/2009nationalsNews.htm | ||
| 8-12 July | European Balloon Festival | Igualada, Spain | admin@ultramagic.com | ||
| 9-12 July | Hillsborough Balloon Festival | New Hampshire, USA | www.balloonfestival.org | ||
| 9-12 July | Eindhoven Balloon Meet | Eindhoven, Netherlands | www.eindhovenballooning.nl | ||
| 9-12 July | Kinsmen Cornwall Lift-Off | Cornwall, Ontario, Canada | www.lift-off.ca | ||
| 11-14 July | Montgolfiades de Dole | Dole, near Dijon, France | www.montgolfiades-dole.groupecbf.com | ||
| 10-12 July | White Horse Balloon Meet | Thirsk, N. Yorks, UK | www.prba.org.uk | ||
| 10-12 July | Cornbury Festival | Oxfordshire, UK | www.cornburyfestival.com | Balloons by invitation | |
| 12-26 July | Italian Balloon Grand Prix | Todi, Italy | todigrandprix@tiscalinet.it | ||
| 15-18 July | Austrian Nationals | Mattsee, Austria | Staatsmeisterschaft2009@gmail.com | ||
| 17-19 July | Lincoln Balloon Meet | UK | www.nwbac.com | ||
| 18 July | Stroud Show | Stroud, Glos, UK | david.hotair@gmail.com | ||
| 18-19 July | UK Grand Prix 2 | Husbands Bosworth, Leics, UK | www.ballooncomps.org.uk | ||
| 20-23 July | Royal Welsh Show | Builth Wells, Mid-Wales, UK | rwsballoons.webs.com | balloons wanted | |
| 22-26 July | Frese Balloon Festival | Joure, Netherlands | www.ballonfeesten.nl | ||
| 23-26 July | Magic City Balloon Rally | Billings, Montana, USA | www.magiccityhotairballoonrally.com | ||
| 24-26 July | Crnomelj Festival | Slovenia | baloni@siol.net | ||
| 24-26 July | New Jersey Festival of Ballooning | New Jersey, USA | www.balloonfestival.com | ||
| 24-26 July | Silverstone Classic | Northants, UK | tony@tonyattwood.net | ||
| 24 July - 2 Aug | Lorraine 2009 | Chambley, Metz, France | www.pilatre-de-rozier.com | ||
| 25 July | Headcorn Proms | Headcorn, Kent, UK | www.flyingadverts.co.uk | ||
| 25-27 July | Flying with Flavour | Montemerano, Grosseto, Italy | wwwmaremmamongolfiera.it | ||
| 26 July - 1 Aug | Warren County Farmers' Festival | New Jersey, USA | www.balloonfestnj.com | ||
| 29 July - 2 Aug | Saxonia Balloon Fiesta | Liepzig, Germany | info@wohlfahrt.net | ||
| 29 July - 2 Aug | Luxgsm World Trophy | Echternach, Luxembourg | www.wbt.lu | ||
| 30 July - 2 Aug | Coupe d'Europe & Ladies' World Cup | Blanzac, Charante, France | s-rouxdevillas@club-internet.fr | ||
| 30 July - 2 Aug | Balloon Festival Bocholt | Germany | www.ballonfestival-borken.de | ||
| 31 July - 1 Aug | Buffalo Trace Balloon Race | Maysville, Kentucky, US | www.buffalotraceballoonrace.com | ||
| 31 July - 2 August | Burnley Balloon Festival | Lancashire, UK | www.nwbac.com | ||
| 31 July - 2 August | Balloons Over Basingstoke | Hants, UK | www.skypower.co.uk | ||
| 31 July - 2 Aug | Pro-Football Hall of Fame Festival | Canton, Ohio, USA | www.profootballhoffestival.com | ||
| August | |||||
| 6-9 August | Bristol International Balloon Fiesta | Ashton Court, Bristol, UK | www.bristolfiesta.co.uk | ||
| 7-8 August | Gronigen Balloon Fiesta | Netherlands | www.ballonfiestagronigen.nl | ||
| 7-9 August | Bielefeld Balloon Fiesta | Germany | www.ballonfiesta-bielefeld.de | ||
| 7-9 August | Gatesway International Balloon Fiesta | Claremore, Oklahoma | bpok@cox.net | ||
| 8-9 August | Balloons, Bikes & Ferraris | Groombridge Place, Kent, UK | becki@airborneballoons.co.uk | ||
| 8-16 August | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Festival | Quebec, Canada | corpo.montgolfieres.com/fr/index.asp | ||
| 12-16 August | Copa del Rey & International Rioja Cup | Haro, Spain | miquel@balotour.com | ||
| 13-16 August | Ballonmagie 2009 | Magdeburg, Germany | info@stratos.de | ||
| 14-15 August | All Ohio Balloon Fest | Marysville, Ohio, USA | www.allohioballoonfest.com | ||
| 14-16 August | Northampton Balloon Festival | Northampton, UK | www.northamptonballoonfestival.com | ||
| 14-16 August | Ogden Valley Balloon Festival | Eden, Utah, USA | www.ogdenvalleyballoonfestival.com | ||
| 15-16 August | Driffield Steam Fair | N. Yorks, UK | www.prba.org.uk | ||
| 15-20 August | UK Nationals | Husbands Bosworth, Leics, UK | www.ballooncomps.org.uk | ||
| 19-22 August | Barneveld Balloon Fiesta | Netherlands | www.ballonfiestabarneveld.nl | ||
| 21-23 August | Great Falls Balloon Festival | Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, USA | www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org | ||
| 21-23 August | Centralia Balloon Fest | Centralia, Illinois, USA | www.balloon-fest.com | ||
| 21-23 August | Garden City Balloon Classic | Kansas, USA | www.gardencitychamber.net | ||
| 20-23 August | Bournemouth Air Show | Bournemouth, UK | alanhall@blueskyballooning.co.uk | ||
| 22-23 August | Hottolfiades | Hotton, Belgium | www.hottolfiades.com | ||
| 21-29 August | European Championships | Brissac-Quince, Anjou, France | www.ffaerostation.org | ||
| 22 August | Evesham Balloon Festival | Evesham, Worcestershire, UK | eveshamhotairfest@btinternet.com | Note new date | |
| 26-29 August | Twente Balloon Meet | Netherlands | www.twenteballooning.nl | ||
| 27-29 August | Breda Balloon Fiesta | Netherlands | www.bredaballonfiesta.nl | ||
| 27-30 August | Munster Montgolfiade | Germany | www.muenster-montgolfiade.de | ||
| 27-30 August | Crowne of Maine Balloon Fest | Presque Isle, Maine, USA | www.crowneofmaineballoonfest.org | ||
| 28-30 August | Art & Air Festival | Albany, Oregon, USA | www.cityofalbany.net | ||
| 28-29 August | Mosel Balloon Fiesta | Trier-Fohren, Germany | waeschenbach@schroederballon.de | ||
| 28-30 August | Strathaven Balloon Festival | Lanarkshire, UK | sheena.mckinnie@tesco.net | ||
| 28-31 August | Coniston Balloon Meet | Lake District, UK | www.nwbac.com | ||
| 28-31 August | Norfolk Balloon Fiesta | Norfolk, UK | |||
| 29-31 August | Bodelwyddan Balloon Meet | North Wales, UK | www.nwbac.com | ||
| 30 August - 6 September | Yorkshire Gliding Club Meet | Thirsk, N Yorks, UK | www.ygc.co.uk | ||
| 30-31 August | Caerphilly Balloon Festival | Wales, UK | www.skypower.co.uk | ||
| September | |||||
| 3-7 September | NY State Festival of Balloons | Dansville, New York, USA | www.nysfob.com | ||
| 4-6 September | Llangollen Balloon Festival | Wales, UK | www.hotairballoonfestival.co.uk | ||
| 4-6 September | Sint Niklaas Balloon Fiesta | Belgium | toerisme@sint-niklaas.be | ||
| 4-7 September | Gatineau Balloon Festival | Quebec, Canada | www.montgolfieresgatineau.com | ||
| 4-12 September | Coupe Gordon Bennett | Geneva, Switzerland | www.geneva.gordon-bennett.ch | ||
| 4-13 September | Warsteiner Montgolfiade | Germany | www.warsteiner-wim.de | ||
| 5-7 September | Colorado Balloon Classic | Colorado Springs, USA | patsy@balloonclassic.com | ||
| 11-13 September | Uttoxeter Balloon Meet | Staffordshire, UK | www.nwbac.com | ||
| 11-13 September | Great Reno Balloon Race | Reno, Nevada, USA | www.renoballoon.com | ||
| 11-13 September | Atlantic International Fiesta | Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada | www.atlanticballoonfiesta.ca | ||
| 12-13 September | UK Grand Prix 3 | Pidley, Cambridgeshire, UK | www.ballooncomps.org.uk | ||
| 12-13 September | Grass Roots 2009 | Sackville Lodge, Beds, UK | robxballoon@hotmail.com | ||
| 18-20 September | BalloonaPalooza IV | Las Vegas, USA | patsy@balloonclassic.com | Note change of date | |
| 18-20 September | Naburn Lock Balloon Meet | York, UK | www.prba.org.uk | ||
| 18-26 September | Tirol Balloon Cup | Kirchberg, Austria | office@ballon.co.at | ||
| 18-27 September | Ferrara Balloon Festival | Italy | ferraraballoonsfestival.it | ||
| 25-26 September | Pellissippi State Balloon Festival | Knoxville, Tennessee, USA | foundation@pstcc.edu | ||
| October | |||||
| 3-11 October | Albuquerque 2009 | New Mexico, USA | www.balloonfiesta.com | ||
| 7-11 October | Fragneto Monforte Balloon Meet | Benevento, Naples, Italy | info@mongolfiere.it | ||
| 10-11 October | One Man Meet | Wells, Somerset, UK | phil@gonewiththewind.uk.com | ||
| 15-18 October | Laguna Balloon Festival | Mexico | www.balloonfestivalmexico.com | ||
| 17-18 October | Festival of Flight | Oneida, New York, USA | katrina@wolfoakacres.com | ||
| 22-25 October | Las Calaveras Balloon Festival | Mexico | www.balloonfestivalmexico.com | ||
| 30 Oct - 1 Nov | Florida Balloon Festival | Apopka, Florida, USA | www.floridaballoonfestival.com | ||
| November | |||||
| 5-8 November | India International Balloon Mela | Delhi, India | balloonindia@yahoo.com | ||
| 6-8 November | Meeting Le Puy | Le Puy en Velay, France | www.mongolfiere-en-velay.fr | ||
| 11-24 November | Rajasthan Safari | India | balloonindia@yahoo.com | ||
| 21-22 November | Humber Bridge Meet | Hull, UK | www.prba.org.uk | ||
| December | |||||
| 3-6 December | Thailand Balloon Festival | Ayothaya, Thailand | www.thailandballoonfestival.com | ||
| 2010 | |||||
| January | |||||
| 8-10 January | Seaside Beach Fest | New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA | www.seasideballoonfest.com | ||
| October | |||||
| 2-10 October | World Hot Air balloon Championship | Debrecen, Hungary | www.deballoons.com | ||
| Want to list your balloon meet here? | Email info@balloonevents.org | ||||
| Would you like to have balloons come to your event? | Email the following details to info@balloonevents.org | ||||
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Date and Venue Attendance figures Audience profile (eg age) Is sponsorship or fee to attend available? Any other details about the event Who to contact
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| If you are organising a non-ballooning show and would like balloons to come to your event, let us know the above details just the same. We'll post it here for balloonists to read and, with any luck, a local balloonist or commercial balloon display team will be interested in making your event a bit hotter! | |||||
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Guide for the public |
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As you can see from the list of ballooning events on this site, you 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 cold conditions 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 only fly just after sunrise and just before sunset. Quite often, launch times will be 6am and 6pm. The balloons will 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 you, you are 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............ If you enjoy following balloons during a flight, please do so safely and keep your 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 your 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.
Do check the event is still on before you travel to it! |
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