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 The Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone (CFEZ), often shortened to Clark, refers to an area in Central Luzon, Philippines. The CFEZ in Pampanga covers portions of the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat and portions of the town of Porac while ...

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

. It is one of the longest-running

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

sports events in the

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 ...

Program

The event attracts more than a hundred balloon pilots around the world. It also features

skydiving Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or parachutes. For ...

, flag jumps, microlight and rocketry demonstrations, small plane fly-bys and fly-ins, remote-control airplane and helicopter flying exhibitions, freestyle

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...

, precision maneuvers, light airplane balloon bursting, ultra-light flying formation and flour bomb dropping, kite-making and

choreographed Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. ...

-flying, hi-start launch gliding, control-line aircraft flying, pylon racing, banner towing, aero-modelling symposium and races between ultralights and motorcycles. An estimated 100,000+ visitors locally and from around the world come in to see this event.

History

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

1994-1995

In 1994, three years after the eruption of the

Mount Pinatubo Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Its eruptive history w ...

, the tourism secretary Mina Gaborand, Sang-kee Paik,

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

General Manager John Emery, and the German aviation enthusiast Max Motschmann, engineered the first ever Philippine International

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 ...

Fiesta to help jumpstart the local economy and spirit of the

Central Luzon Central Luzon ( pam, (Reyun ning) Kalibudtarang Luzon, pag, (Rehiyon na) Pegley na Luzon, tgl, (Rehiyon ng) Gitnang Luzon, ilo, (Rehion/Deppaar ti) Tengnga ti Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...

region. This was done with the commitment of developing hot air ballooning as an aviation sport in the country and making the Philippines one of the leading sports aviation and travel destinations in the Asia Pacific region. The 1994 event originally organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Hot Air Balloon Club, the Clark Development Corporation, and British Airways initially began with 21 balloon pilots from 10 countries and one entry from the

, represented by Capt. Joy Roa, who was the only registered Filipino balloon pilot at that time. The success of the festival in 1994 brought about an increase in the number of participants in 1995 to 27 balloons, including a basketless one-man balloon, and two entries from the Philippines. The 1995 festival also saw the introduction of ultra light planes to the events.

1996-1998

By 1996, responsibility of the event was transferred from the Department of Tourism to Air Ads, Inc. under the watchful eyes of Captain Joy Roa, who is also an avid licensed balloon pilot. Between 1996 and 1998, the growing popularity of the festival was expanded to include other aero-sports activities such as sky diving,

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

, motorized

hang gliding Hang gliding is an air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised foot-launched heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium alloy or composite frame covered ...

, remote controlled

model aircraft A model aircraft is a small unmanned aircraft. Many are replicas of real aircraft. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed static, display, or shelf models. Aircraft manufactur ...

(aero modelers), and kite flying. Aerobatic stunts and precision maneuvers courtesy of the Blue Diamonds and later the Red Aces of the Philippine Air Force became a regular attraction of the festival.Miko Santo
Asian Journal Online
''Hot Air Balloons Grace Pampanga’s Sky. '' Retrieved on February 7, 2007.

1999-2003

Financial challenges faced in 1999 led to the discontinuation of the festival. However, a notable resurgence occurred in 2000 when a total of 12 balloons and 18 light planes hailing from Thailand, Japan, and Singapore, contributed to an air rally that has since become a regular and integral element of the overall celebrations. The year 2003 marked a significant departure from the conventional ballooning format. This departure was manifested through the introduction of specially crafted balloons, including ones shaped as a flying newspaper from South Korea and a large dog from Japan, both of which made their inaugural appearance against the backdrop of the Pampanga skyline. The international representation of balloons from countries such as Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, and the Netherlands, successfully attracted audiences from various corners of the globe.

2004-2016

The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival continues to be a popular international sports aviation event. The 2006 festival featured 30 multicolored hot air balloons and more than a hundred balloon pilots from Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. It also drew approximately 60,000 visitors to the event.

2017–2020

The 21st Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta showcased 30 hot air balloons from USA, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Hungary, Turkey, China, Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines.21st Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Magazine The award-winning Twinz Aerobatic Paragliders, as well as former members of the British Red Devils also participated in the event. The Fiesta's main theme was "Exchange of Cultures," a tribute to aviation's contributions in "making the world smaller." Apart from aviation enthusiasts, the Fiesta also invited artists and performers from around the world - including Turkish folk dancers, carpet makers and ceramic masters; international singers from South Africa, Samoa, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe; and the Amganad Music and Dance Ensemble from Banaue, Philippines. In 2020, the PIHABF was not held at its usual venue in Clark, Pampanga citing a "lack of government commitment" to be involved in the event amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Instead, the organizers held a hot air balloon festival, which they dubbed as "Flying Carnival 2020", at the

San Lazaro Leisure Park The San Lazaro Leisure Park, officially known as the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park is a mixed-used venue which features a racetrack in Carmona, Cavite, Philippines. It is the home of the Manila Jockey Club. The leisure park occupies a lan ...

Carmona Carmona may refer to: Places Angola * the former name of the town of Uíge Costa Rica * Carmona District, Nandayure, a district in Guanacaste Province India * Carmona, Goa, a village located in the Salcette district of South Goa, India ...

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

Since 2021

This fiesta went on hiatus in 2021. There are plans to return in Clark.

External links

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Official siteHot Air Balloon Fiesta at Clark Freeport Zone
at WN
gmanews.tv/video, 1st Pinoy-made hot-air ballon shown off in Pampanga - 29 January 2008
(in

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

)

References

{{Reflist Hot air balloon festivals Festivals in Pampanga Tourist attractions in Angeles City 1994 establishments in the Philippines Recurring events established in 1994 Annual events in the Philippines Sports festivals in the Philippines