4-day international hot air balloon fiesta kicks off at Clark today

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga – The four-day 12th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta kicks off at the Philippine Air Force hangar here today with no less than 21 balloons from 14 countries participating.

Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president Liberato Laus said this year’s hot air balloon event is the highlight of “Clarksiyahan,” which he described as a “packet of activities” that will extend to the CDC parade grounds, a few kilometers from the hangar.   

Joy Roa, president of Air Ads and chairman of the balloon fiesta committee, said 19 of the 21 balloons are being flown in by foreign pilots from 13 countries, while the other two are to be piloted by Filipinos.

Roa assured spectators that this year’s event will feature new and colorful balloons, including two novelties — an octopus from Japan and a tiger from Germany. 

Apart from balloonists from the Philippines, the other participants are coming from Sweden, United States, Hungary, Thailand, Malaysia, Germany, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, Japan, Switzerland, and South Korea.

“The fiesta is also featuring four paragliders, three from Malaysia and one from France, who are flying thrice daily for the whole duration of the events,” the CDC said.

The CDC quoted Roa as saying that aside from the paragliders, airplanes and a helicopter from Kuala Lumpur and Thailand are joining the four-day event.

Other attractions during the annual fiesta are all-terrain vehicles, which are available for riding by spectators in a dirt area at the fiesta venue, the CDC said.

The CDC added that there are also ultra-light aircraft formation flying, ultra-light bomb dropping exercises with audience participation, skydiving exhibitions, radio control aircraft flying, paragliding exhibition, rocketry demonstration, search and rescue flying exhibition, choreographed kite flying exhibition, and a helicopter flying exhibition.

At the CDC parade grounds, the Clarksiyahan simultaneous event is also featuring a drag race, quiz bee, inter-school street dancing, squad competition, locators’ product selling, bikini open, and the Johnny Walker rave party and fashion show, Laus said.

He said the 12th hot air balloon fiesta is expected to outdo last year’s event, which attracted more than 100,000 spectators.