Hot air balloon fans travel from miles around for Northampton Balloon Festival
The three day event at the Racecourse ends this Sunday with a fireworks display.
Northampton's Balloon Festival kicks off today at the towns Racecourse, with organisers saying hot air balloon events attract fans from miles around.
The festival was first held back in 1989.
In attendance at the three day event will be an saucepan, a jar of coffee, aliens, a Cadbury's Creme Egg and a Bertie Bassett shaped balloons. Keep your eyes on the skies and you might spot them flying over Northampton this weekend.
The event is being held at Northampton Racecourse, with between 70,000 and 65,000 expected to attend based on past numbers and this weekends good weather.
The Event Organiser is David Bailey:
"We did one in Doncaster this week and there were people coming far as Scotland, London, Liverpool. Just just to see that people liking not air balloon, they love hot air balloon. Simple as that."
David says historically the branded balloons would have been used as advertising:
"Before you got your Internet and things like that? So the companies had money to pay for, like the Lurpak balloon and the Creme Egg and things like that and that's how they used to advertise with the balloons in the sky."
David also organises the Northampton Beer festival, as well as the towns Hot Air Balloon Festival:
"People laugh at me because I run two beer festivals, one being the Northampton Beer Festival and I've also got balloon festivals. One, I'm teetotal and two, I'm scared of heights."
Despite not flying in the balloons himself David says his daughter will be going up in them, along with anyone else who is able to book a ride via the events website.
Some of the older ones can't fly but will be tethered and lit up at night during the event:
"The night glow is really special. We have a few shapes in the night glow and then on the Sunday, we've got the firework finale."
Throughout the day, there's lots of entertainment as well including motorbike stunt teams, an American Civil War reenactment, Viking reenactments, a Viking village, and a circus workshop.
You can find out more on the website thenorthamptonballoonfestival.co.uk