In the article “Balloon festival” you will get acquainted with the current festivals of ballooning in Russia, as well as learn curious facts about ballooning.
Today, every self-respecting region holds a balloon or aeronautics festival. In fact, hot-air ballooning is experiencing a second birth, and there is a reason for that.
Everyone, somewhere in the subconscious, very much wants to try to fly a balloon. Maybe to overcome fear, or to get an unforgettable experience. But as the captains of the balloon say, it is the safest kind of ballooning, because the speed does not exceed 5 m/sec and there is nothing to worry about. Even if everything stops working, they will be able to land the “balloon” as gently as possible.
If you go back in history, similar festivals have been held since 1971. The driver of such events was the United States. Today they have the most “ancient” and authoritative festivals in the world. For example, the Albuquerque International Festival or the National Balloon Rally held in North Carolina.
Russia tries to keep up in this regard and organizes its own festivals. The most famous of them is the festival in Velikie Luki (Pskov region). The festival has been held since 1994, and it is included in the schedule of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. This means that the competition is rated by Russian pilots, and they compete for the Cup of Friendship.
As witnesses of the festival note, the soaring multicolored balloon truly mesmerizes the residents of the city and the participants. Every year in June, dozens of balloons from around the world come to them, creating an unforgettable atmosphere of celebration.
According to residents of Velikie Luki, the most spectacular at the festival is just the unofficial “key-crab” competition, when pilots must hit the marker in the basket, located on the river Lovat.
Did you know what?
The average cost of a hot air balloon ranges from $20,000 to $30,000. They are very often compared to cars, as they also differ in size and number of passengers.
What other balloon festivals exist in Russia? To answer this question, we suggest reading our table below.
Balloon festivals in Russia
| Name | Location | Periodicity | Date of event |
| Ballooning festival “Pereslavl. Spring” | Pereslavl-Zalessky city, Yaroslavl region | Yearly | April 23-25 |
| MOA aeronautics championship | Dmitrov town, Moscow region | Yearly | May 17-21 |
| “Mottled skies – Spring” | Moscow | Yearly | May 30-31 |
| Ballooning festival in Velikie Luki | Velikie Luki city, Pskov region | Yearly | June 10-16 |
| “Vologda lace” aeronautical festival | Vologda city | Yearly | June 24-26 |
| “Sky fair of the Urals” | Kungur city, Perm region | Yearly | June 24-July 1 |
| “Golden Ring of Russia” | Pereslavl-Zalessky city, Yaroslavl region | Yearly | July 13-18 |
| “The Sky of St. Sergius” | Sergiev Posad, Moscow Region | Yearly | July 23-24 |
| “The Sky of Russia” | Ryazan city | Yearly | August 14-21 |
| “Colorful Skies – Autumn” | Moscow | Yearly | August 27-28 |
| “MAX” | Zhukovsky city, Moscow region | once every 2 years | August 25-30 |
| “The Skyline of Belogorie” | Belgorod city | Yearly | September 3-6 |
| “Air Brotherhood” | Feodosia, Crimea | Yearly | September 10-15 |
| Moscow International Balloon Festival | Moscow | Yearly | September 27-30 |
The most famous balloon festival in the world is the French Lorraine Festival. It has been held annually since 1989 for 10 days. Participants from 10 countries come to the event and hundreds of balloons decorate the sky. By the way, in France, and was set a world record for the number of balloons in the sky (456 pcs.).
The largest festival takes place in France not by chance. The fact that the inventors of the balloon were wealthy manufacturers, the French brothers Mongolfier. They were the first in the world to launch a balloon into the sky in Annon in 1783. It flew only 3-4 km and rose to a height of no more than 500 meters, but the fame of the invention makes the French set more and more records. Who, if not the discoverers?
Now, of course, balloons are built with lightweight materials that reach very different heights. The altitude record this time belongs to Japanese engineers. In 2002 they managed to construct a balloon weighing only 35 kilograms that reached an altitude of 53 kilometers.
In general, a hot air balloon is both beautiful and romantic. You have a great excuse to spend time in excellent company and in a great atmosphere. Come to the ballooning festivals on schedule and enjoy.
