European Balloon Festival
Encyclopedia
The European Balloon Festival is the largest hot air balloon festival in Spain
and one of the largest in Europe. It takes place every year during the first fortnight of July in Igualada
, Catalonia
, Spain
, a city located within 60 km from Barcelona
.
The festival lasts four days (Thursday to Sunday) and attracts thousands of spectators. It includes a hot air balloon
competition and recreational exhibitions such as a night glow
and fireworks
. The flights take place early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when weather conditions are the optimal ones. It also offers visitors the opportunity to fly on a balloon, by booking a flight in advance.
The festival is organized by the Igualada City Council, with technical support from the company Ultramagic
, the world's second largest manufacturer of hot air balloons, and Kon-Tiki Balloon Flights, a company specialized in balloon flights.
The 2007 edition gathered 60 hot air balloon
pilots from multiple countries. The 2008 edition was a challenging one. Whilst the weather for the meeting was generally excellent, unusual rainy weather prior to the Festival meant that it had been impossible for the farmers to cut the crop fields. Landing conditions were therefore more difficult due to the lack of cut fields. The 2010 edition gathered 15,000 visitors.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and one of the largest in Europe. It takes place every year during the first fortnight of July in Igualada
Igualada
Igualada is a municipality of the province of Barcelona in Catalonia . It is located on the left bank of the Anoia river, and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona railway. Igualada is the capital and central market of the Anoia comarca, a rich agricultural and wine-producing...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, a city located within 60 km from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
The festival lasts four days (Thursday to Sunday) and attracts thousands of spectators. It includes a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
competition and recreational exhibitions such as a night glow
Night glow
A night glow is an event that is often held as a climax to a hot air balloon festival. The balloons are set up at sunset in the launch area, an open field, or a football stadium and are inflated as if they are going to take off. But instead of being allowed to ascend, they are held down by the...
and fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
. The flights take place early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when weather conditions are the optimal ones. It also offers visitors the opportunity to fly on a balloon, by booking a flight in advance.
The festival is organized by the Igualada City Council, with technical support from the company Ultramagic
Ultramagic
Ultramagic is a manufacturer of hot air balloons, based at the Igualada-Òdena airfield, province of Barcelona, Catalonia. It is the only manufacturer of hot air balloons in Spain, and the second largest in the world. The company produces from 80 to 120 balloons per year, with 80% of them exported...
, the world's second largest manufacturer of hot air balloons, and Kon-Tiki Balloon Flights, a company specialized in balloon flights.
History
The first festival was held in 1997 and since then has been organized every year. For some years it was held together with the Aerosport airshow, which in 2008 was moved to April or May of every year.The 2007 edition gathered 60 hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
pilots from multiple countries. The 2008 edition was a challenging one. Whilst the weather for the meeting was generally excellent, unusual rainy weather prior to the Festival meant that it had been impossible for the farmers to cut the crop fields. Landing conditions were therefore more difficult due to the lack of cut fields. The 2010 edition gathered 15,000 visitors.
External links
- Official site of the European Balloon Festival
- Ultramagic, technical organizer
- Kon-Tiki balloon flights, technical organizer