2020 Hot Air Balloon Festival Opens in Cavite

6 March 2020

The Flying Carnival 2020 is the first Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) to be staged outside Clark, Pampanga, its venue partner for 22 years.

“We would like to share ballooning and aviation to everyone around the Philippines, and I think this is the first step,” said PIHABF Event Director Captain Joy Roa, who mentioned the group’s plans to take the event to other parts of the Philippines in the coming years.

The 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

A panda-shaped and sunflower-shaped balloons are seen before they were flown during the first day of the Hot Air Balloons festival at Clark airbase, a former U.S. base in Pampanga province, north of Manila February 9, 2012. At least 26 hot air balloons, including six specially shaped balloons were flown on Thursday. Aside from hot air balloons, military aircraft, kites and radio-controlled turbine jets also occupy the sky during the festival. The Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, an event that started in 1994, is considered the biggest aviation event in the country, a local media reported. Reuters

Air Balloon Festival in Clark kicks off February 10

By Franco G. Regala

February 5, 2011

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – At least 27 hot air balloons will be participating in the annual Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival inside the Clark Economic Zone in Pampanga.

According to Sonny Lopez, Public Affairs manager of Clark Development Corporation (CDC), among the countries that have confirmed their participation in the Feb. 10-13 event aside from the Philippines are the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Hungary, Finland, Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia.

Lopez said visitors will be able to experience a 45-minute hot air balloon flight for only P250 per adult and P150 per child. Tour schedules are 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

There will also be sky diving and paragliding exhibitions as well as rocketry and radio-controlled model aircraft demonstrations. --- Manila Bulletin

Balloon Festival getting better

14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival: A Soaring Success

February 22, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Everyone’s eyes were turned towards the sky during the 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival held from Feb. 12-15 at the Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

Starting as a simple sporting event in 1994, then secretary of tourism Mina Gabor commissioned two balloon pilots from Korea and England for the event. Since then, the Hot Air Balloon Festival has become a full-blown spectacle.

As if last year’s 19 balloons were not enough, the 14th Hot Air Balloon Festival saw some 24 balloons soar through the sky. Among them were uniquely shaped balloons – a giant Coca-Cola bottle, Nescafe and DSV coffee mugs, a Kellogg’s balloon, a telephone booth, and even an elephant.

Ground traffic was not as free flowing as the balloons floating above, as hordes of spectators came to witness the aerial show. The upswell of more than 15,000 spectators on a perfect Saturday morning – Valentine’s day at that – was virtually unprecedented. The organizers from the Clark Development Corporation and the Philippine Balloon Foundation were expecting 100,000 visitors throughout the duration of the four-day festival.

This year’s festival showcased special aerosports events such as skydiving, light airplane balloon bursting competitions, Filipino/Malaysian/Thai paragliding exhibitions, an AFP flag jump, and formation flying. Less daring, but equally entertaining, were the choreographed kite flying and the remote control aircraft demo flying.

On ground, the festivities continued with a bazaar, high speed car drifting shows, performances by the Philippine Air Force band, and the San Fernando Giant Lantern parade.

The highlight of the last two nights was a fireworks display and a Night Glow show where the balloons were fired up and transformed into giant luminous lanterns as they drifted in the night sky.