Swindon celebrates first-ever balloon festival
The two-day event takes place at Lydiard Park
More than 30 balloons are set to fly over Swindon tonight as the town celebrates its first-ever balloon festival.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a range of activities and displays as well as local food and drinks.
A balloon ascent is scheduled for the evening, but whether it can take place will depend on weather conditions.
Festival organiser David Bailey told Greatest Hits Radio: “We do ballon festivals all over the UK and I was talking to a friend of mine, who is a balloonist. And he said: ‘Have you thought about Swindon?’ because there is a big ballooning community, there are a lot of balloons around here with Bristol not too far way.
“So, we contacted Lydiard Park and had a chat with the guys here and the council who were very welcoming. And now here we are, ready to go.”
Visitors will be able to see balloons in all kinds of shapes in sizes, from aliens and sheep to a Cadbury’s Creme Egg and the Aston Martin logo.
The balloons will be tethering throughout the day for people to admire before the ascent and the night glow are set to start at 7pm and 9.45pm, respectively.
“With balloonists, everything is weather dependent”, added Mr. Bailey.
“If it’s too windy, then we won’t fly but we’ll put tethers up and we’ll do night glows and we also have a firework finale.
“We’ll try our best to get the balloons up but there’s nothing we can do about the weather. We have to think about pilot’s safety, that’s the main thing.”
During the day, the Jump Dog Parachute Team and Paws for Thought will put on dog displays.
There will also be performances from stunt teams, Vikings skirmishes and Civil War drills as well as circus workshops and a large fun fair for the younger audience.
Parking will be free for all visitors of Lydiard Park, regardless of whether they are attending the balloon festival or simply going for a stroll.