| Philippines International Hot Air Balloon Festival | |
| Location: | Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga |
| Country: | Philippines |
| Frequency: | Annual |
| Years Active: | 1994–1998, 2000–2019 |
| Founded: | 1994 |
| Dates: | Every 2nd week of February |
| Genre: | Hot air balloon festival |
| Attendance: | approx. 1 |
| Website: | https://www.philballoonfest.net/ |
The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is an annual four-day air-sporting event held between January and February at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. It was initiated by Nelson Mayo in the late 1900s. As one of the longest-running aviation sports events in the Philippines, it features participation from over a hundred balloon pilots worldwide and attracts an audience of more than 100,000 visitors from various locations.[1]
The Fiesta's programming has changed and developed over the years. In addition to hot air balloons, some of the attractions present have been:
In 1994, three years after the eruption of the Mount Pinatubo, the tourism secretary Mina Gaborand, Sang-kee Paik, British Airways General Manager John Emery, and the German aviation enthusiast Max Motschmann engineered the first ever Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta to help jumpstart the local economy and spirit of the Central Luzon region. This was done with the commitment of developing hot air ballooning as an aviation sport in the country and to develop Philippines into one of the leading sports aviation and travel destinations in the Asia Pacific region.[2]
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 ultralight planes to the events.
By 1996, responsibility of the event was transferred from the Department of Tourism to Air Ads, Inc. under Captain Joy Roa. Between 1996 and 1998, the growing popularity of the festival was expanded to include other aero-sports activities:
Aerobatic stunts and precision maneuvers courtesy of the Blue Diamonds and later the Red Aces of the Philippine Air Force also became a regular attraction of the festival.[3]
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.
The 2006 festival featured 30 multicolored hot air balloons and more than a hundred balloon pilots. It also drew approximately 60,000 visitors to the event.[4]
In 2017,[5] the 21st Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta showcased 30 hot air balloons. 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.[6]
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. Instead, the organizers held a hot air balloon festival, which they dubbed as "Flying Carnival 2020", at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.[7] [8]
This fiesta went on hiatus in 2021.
The 24th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was held in New Clark City from February 16 to 18, 2024 with the inaugural Skydiving Philippine Flag Jump ceremony.
18 hot air balloons participated. Each balloon reached sizes of up to 30 meters and soared up to 12,000 feet.[9] [10]