Exploring the Legacy of the Hot Air Balloon Festival Philippines

The Pampanga Hot Air Balloon Festival is the city's most famous annual event and a lot of fun for the whole family, apart from the best place to go in Christmas Philippines.

Attendees and participants of the Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival have a common interest in ballooning. Hot air balloons are sometimes displayed in a bright manner during the festival, and demonstration flights and other events are held to showcase the art and science of ballooning.

So, if you want to soar to new heights and experience this event, it's always helpful to know a thing or two about how this hot air balloon club started.

About the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival

Every year, the Philippines hosts the Hot Air Balloon Festival, an event that celebrates the thrill and spectacle of hot air ballooning. The event gives spectators a chance to ride in a hot air balloon and feel the exhilaration of flying while also learning about the history and development of these hot air balloons. It is also a global gathering of hot air balloon pilots and aviation sport from all around the globe.

Here are also some of the exhibitions and air-sporting events that the festival features:

- Helicopter flying exhibitions and maneuvers

- Air rally

- Light airplane balloon bursting competition

- Carnival rides

- Concerts

- Flag jumping

- Colorful display of the hot air balloon competition

- Kite flying

- Precision flying

- Sky diving and flag jumps

- Trade fair

- Ultralights

History of the Hot Air Ballooning in the Philippines

Just three years after the devastating eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 can the origins of the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival be traced. With the help of Sang-kee Paik, British Airways General Manager John Emery, and German aviation enthusiast Max Motschmann, former secretary Mina Gabor launched the first-ever Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta to assist the Central Luzon economy in its recovery from the devastation caused by Mt. Pinatubo.

The major goal of the international event and festival was to promote hot air ballooning as a legitimate aviation activity in the Philippines and to elevate the country's local economy to the position of Asia's most sought-after tourist and sports-travel destination.

1994 - 1999: The start of the Hot Air Balloon Club

The Clark Development Company and British Airways hosted the first event, to which they invited the Hot Air Balloon Club. Twenty-one balloonists from ten nations took part, with the Philippines sending in a single entry. Capt. Joy Roa, the country's only licensed balloon pilot, flew in to represent the nation.

After a great debut in 1994, the competition welcomed a record 27 balloons and a second Filipino participation in 1995. The Red Aces from the Philippine Air Force also becomes a major attraction of the festival while the Department of Tourism air ads for the event. Furthermore, ultra-light planes were added to the feast the same year.

1999 - 2000: Taking on the challenges

Nevertheless, beginning in 1999, the Hot Air Balloon Festival and its organizers struggled financially. In 1999, financial difficulties forced the organizers to call off the event. It didn't take long, however, for the Hot Air Balloon Festival to regain its footing again and grow in popularity the following year.

In 2000, the festival returned with a comeback, they drew a total of twelve hot air balloons and eighteen light aircraft. In order to exhibit their skills, pilots from Thailand, Singapore, and Japan flew all the way to the Philippines. In 2000, people rallied behind the event with a celebratory air show. After then, it became an annual tradition at the gathering, and it still goes on to this day.

2003 - 2016: Evolving as a global spectacle

There was a radical shift away from the standard event format in 2003. In response, people's submissions showed a significant increase in originality.

One change was the appearance of custom-made balloons during the event, such as the South Korean newspaper-shaped balloon and the Japanese dog-shaped balloon. They towered brightly above Pampanga and quickly became tourist magnets.

Moreover, several well-known companies, both nationally and internationally, from the telecoms industry to the fashion industry, brought in promotional hot air balloons to draw attention to themselves.

In subsequent years, even more people from all over the world took part, including pilots and teams from places like Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Malaysia. This is also the time when the festival's reputation as a global event was firmly established.

2004 - 2019: Soaring to new heights

There has been consistent growth in the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival. More than a hundred balloonists from dozens of nations came in 2006 to fly roughly thirty brightly colored hot air balloons. At least 60,000 people attended the 2006 celebrations, which marked the beginning of a new era of attendance brought on by the breathtaking vistas of the sky.

Aerial sports like skydiving and paragliding have now been added to the mix. Major acts like the Twinz Aerobatic Paragliders and the British Red Devils have performed at the event in previous years. These teams' breathtaking airborne exploits have made the event an absolute must for every aviation adrenaline junkie.

Performers and artists from all over the globe have taken the Hot Air Balloon Festival down to the ground. Folk dancers, virtuoso potters, and expert carpet weavers throughout the world all have opportunities to perform on stage.

When is the Hot Air Balloon Festival?

Dates for the Philippines' annual Hot Air Balloon Festival are not consistent. On the other hand, it often takes place in the first two months every year, in January and February.

Although this year, on April 15 and 16, 2023, the Clark Aurora Music Festival will return to Pampanga with a lineup of OPM's biggest performers and a stunning hot-air balloon spectacle to boot.

Witness the Hot Air Balloons Festival in Clark Freeport Zone

The Clark Global City in Pampanga, Philippines, is the site of the annual hot air balloon festival. Once a U.S. military installation, Pampanga province is now home to the Clark Freeport Zone. As of right now, it's a thriving commercial zone and tourism hotspot.

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta that is being held in Carmona, Cavite is different from the Clark Music Festival and Hot Air Balloon Display that is held in Clark Pampanga.

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