The European Balloon Festival is the largest

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", ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and one of the largest in Europe. It takes place every year during the first fortnight of July in

Igualada Igualada () is a municipality in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. 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 ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, a city located within 60 km from

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. The festival lasts four days (Thursday to Sunday) and attracts thousands of spectators. It includes a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...

competition and recreational exhibitions such as a night glow and

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

. 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 (, ) is a manufacturer of hot air balloons, based at the Igualada-Òdena Aerodrome, province of Barcelona, Catalonia. It is the only manufacturer of hot air balloons in Spain, and the second largest in the world.El PeriodicoOnce meses e ...

, the world's second largest manufacturer of hot air balloons, and

Kon-Tiki Balloon Flights The ''Kon-Tiki'' expedition was a 1947 journey by raft across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands, led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. The raft was named ''Kon-Tiki'' after the Inca god Viracocha, for ...

, a company specialized in balloon flights. The company merged with Royal Flight Tours in 2010 and operates flights from the south eastern peninsula.

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

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. There was no festival in 2020.

Gallery of Images

File:European Balloon Festival-2008- night glow.jpg, Night glow, 2008. File:European Balloon Festival-2008- night glow and fireworks 1.jpg, Night glow and fireworks, 2008. File:European Balloon Festival 2008 in Igualada.jpg, Inflating, year 2008. File:European Balloon Festival-2008-3.jpg, Year 2008. File:European Balloon Festival-2008-1.jpg, Year 2008. File:Escalfant motors.jpg, Burner in action, year 2009

References

External links

Official site of the European Balloon Festival

Ultramagic
technical organizer

technical organizer {{coord, 41.584543, N, 1.630865, E, display=title Hot air balloon festivals Igualada Festivals in Catalonia Festivals in Spain Festivals established in 1997 1997 establishments in Spain Sports festivals in Spain Summer events in Spain