-Pavas Shrigyan
The festival of hot air balloons is held every year in various places over the whole year, allowing the hot air balloons operators to gather together and as well as for the general public to participate in numerous adventurous activities.
About the Festival
The balloon rallies might consist of just a few numbers of balloons for a one-day outing but it can go up to several hundred balloons for a whole week of festivities. Competitive events include-
- Distance covered within a time limit.
- Spot landing.
- Hare and Hound races.
Hare and hound races are prominently very easy for organizing and judging since they require only one hare, that is, balloon for first launching and then to fly over a reasonable distance. All the participating competitors try to attempt to land as close as they possibly can to the position of hare’s landing. However, in crowded conditions, the markers are often dropped for simulating the landings, and thereby, balloons ought to fly on to more open locations.
Commercial ride operators get involved in this particular business almost everywhere in the world. Some ride balloons carry 10 to 20 passengers at one-time in the massive fractioned baskets. In countries like France and California, wine-country flights are one of the major popular tourist attractions. In Africa, the African safari flights, which fly at low altitude over their vast game preserves, are maybe the pinnacle of their ballooning ride festival.
Significance of the Festival
The balloons are mostly used for amusing recreational purposes in addition to the quiet morning or afternoon flights accumulating across the country for enjoying the view. Numerous balloonists enjoy these competitive sporting events and also attempt to set some new records. A balloonist might be flying alone in the basket or they might carry several passengers as well. Often several balloons meet for launching together without even any such competitive goals. The individual flights certainly last from about one to three hours and it might go several kilometres then, although they often land very close to their take-off point.
The Turnover of the festival
The Hot Air Balloon Festival is not limited to any one place or state and is celebrated all over India. Various states have started to acknowledge this festival and add something new to its festivities every year. Let’s talk about Mussoorie and Varanasi.
Mussoorie
On this occasion, the tourism board of Uttarakhand, i.e, UTDB said that the Uttarakhand government is contemplating the hot air balloon safaris at some significant tourist spots for attracting more adventurous tourists to the state. The balloon rides were arranged in George Everest Estate at Hathipaon on a Sunday as a part of the State Foundation Day Celebrations. Over 450 people took the adventurous rides in Mussoorie and they had a thrilling experience.
Varanasi
Tourism in Varanasi is not only restricted to the temples and ghats now. It has also added the 10-day hot air balloon festival which started on the bank of river Ganga. This new trend of 10-day balloon festivals has made Varanasi one of the popular spiritual locations in India.
The cost of the Varanasi festival is Rs. 500 at this moment, which is comparatively very less than any other balloon rides in India. The cost is also less due to the pandemic that has already shaken up the tourism industry and economy and the post-pandemic costs are subjected to rise.
Conclusion
Various festivals are celebrated all over the world and the categories are always expanding and evolving into something much adventurous and worthy to look upon. People are always exploring for new thrills and destinations better than before. The Hot Air Balloon Festival has a pinch of everything exciting for all the tourists.
Happy flying!
Must Read : https://skchildrenfoundation.org/hornbill-festival/
