The annual Strathaven Balloon Festival is returning later this month, and we’ve got the low down on the plan.
The events are set to take place, as usual, during the final weekend of August - beginning on Friday 26. Held in Strathaven’s John Hastie Park, programmes for the weekend are available in many local shops.
Starting off the event, weather permitting, there will be balloon flights on Friday evening just after 6pm. Bright and early the following morning, more balloons will launch at 6.30am.
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More launches will happen at 6pm on Saturday, with the same schedule planned for Sunday. Throughout both days, entertainment will be held - including music, dancers, birds of prey to see up close, a fun fair, stalls, classic vehicles, and more.
On Saturday 27, if the weather is fair - spectators will be treated to the Evening Glow event at 9pm.
As the sun begins to set, the crowd can gather in the main arena while balloonists take to the field. They lay out the huge balloons, tethered to vehicles before the burners are started and the colourful balloons glow and illuminate the night sky.
All of the weekend's events are completely free, though event planners do emphasise the importance of weather conditions. The Strathaven Balloon Festival website tells us: “In the UK, balloons can only fly early in the morning and in the evening when the weather and wind conditions are at their best and most stable with no thermal activity from the sun.
“Due to the nature of ballooning there is a degree of flexibility with the timings so please be patient, it will be worth the wait, our pilot’s really do want to fly. We will always try our hardest to get balloons flying but our pilots and crews safety is paramount.”
The Balloon Festival began in 1999, when a group of locals thought it would be good to creat an exciting public event and help the local economy. With one of the locals friends with Don Cameron, of the successful Cameron Balloons company, a hot air balloon festival seemed to make sense.
In 2019, the future of the festival was up in air (pun intended) when organisers faced massive budget cuts. After kind-hearted local businesses stepped in, the festival was saved by a £2500 cash injection.
The events now attract balloon enthusiasts and visitors from all over Europe, with 30,000 spectators attending over the course of the weekend.
For updates on this year's event, head to the Strathaven Balloon Festival website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed.
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