A balloon glow or night glow is an event that is often held as a climax to a

hot air balloon festival Hot air balloon festivals are held annually in many places throughout the year, allowing hot air balloons operators to gather- as well as for the general public- to participate in various activities. They can include races; evening "night glows", ...

. The

balloons A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the per ...

are set up at

sunset Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

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 ground crew. The

propane Propane () is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used a ...

burners are ignited periodically to keep the balloons inflated with hot air. Since the event typically occurs in the dark, the balloons glow like huge

light bulbs An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...

or Chinese lanterns,New York Times
Up, Up and Gently Away
/ref> giving a spectacular display for the audience. Sometimes the event is judged and sometimes it is held merely for entertainment and the celebration of ballooning.

Gallery

File:Hot air balloon fiesta.JPG, Night Glow display at the

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is an annual four-day air-sporting event held each year between January and February at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. It is one of the longest-running aviation sports events in the Phili ...

Angeles City , anthem = Himno ning Angeles (Angeles Hymn) , subdivision_type3 = District , subdivision_name3 = , established_title = Settled , established_date = 1796 , established_title1 = Chartere ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. File:balloon night glow 2001 09.jpg, Night glow at the

Great Pershing Balloon Derby The Great Pershing Balloon Derby is a hot air balloon festival held each Labor Day weekend near Brookfield, Missouri. The three-day festival draws balloonists from the midwest and as far away as Florida and the Pacific Northwest. It is named in ho ...

near Brookfield, Missouri, September, 2001 File:Night Glow 2012-09-08 THWZ 01.jpg, Night glow at the ''"Warsteiner Internationale Montgolfiade"'' in

Warstein Warstein () is a municipality with town status in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located at the north end of Sauerland. Geography Warstein is located north of the Arnsberger Wald (forest) at a brook called Wäs ...

, Germany, September 2012 File:BoW nightglow1.jpg, Night glow at Balloons over Waikato in

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton ( mi, Kirikiriroa) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's fou ...

, 2010 File:Night Glow at 20 FIBAQ 2016 - Alter do Chão.jpg, Night Glow at the 20º Hot Air Balloon Festival (FIBAQ) in Alter do Chão, 11 November 2016

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References

See also