4th Qatar Balloon Festival lifts off with 55 hot air balloons at Katara Park
A total of 55 hot air balloons lifted off into Doha’s skies on Thursday evening, marking the official start of the 4th Qatar Balloon Festival at Katara’s South Park.
Qatar Tourism Chairman Saad bin Ali bin Saad Al Kharji and other top officials attended the opening ceremony, which was filled with hundreds of people including children and families.
The festival has steadily grown in scope and size, with a record number of participants and balloons taking part this year.
صور من فعاليات #مهرجان_قطر_للمناطيد في نسخته الرابعة 2023 المقام في الحي الثقافي #كتارا https://t.co/CkRSEGAN6d@qbfestival #قطر #كتارا_ملتقى_الثقافات#كتارا_وجهة_ثقافية_سياحية pic.twitter.com/JmCWPxciRK
— كتارا | Katara (@kataraqatar) December 7, 2023
While the festival’s first and second editions saw 30 and 35 balloons participating, last year’s event at the Old Doha Port saw the number touch 50 for the first time.
The festival features balloons from different countries, including Brazil, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Spain, The Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Turkiye, UK and USA.
The hot air balloons also comes in various sizes and shapes, ranging from penguins to aliens to castles to cartoon characters and a number of other fantastic designs.
#QNA_Video |
— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) December 7, 2023
The 4th Edition of #Qatar_Balloon_Festival Starts. #QNA#Qatar pic.twitter.com/QZknASS5Ck
The festival’s Flight Director Lee Hooper said this year’s event was bigger and better than ever before.
“This year, we’re very excited because we’ve such a great location in the middle of the city which is so very accessible by all. Being in the middle of such beautiful landscapes makes for stunning flying. So all pilots, who’ve traveled to Doha from around the world, are excited about taking some excellent flights,” he said.
The festival will feature morning and afternoon flights from different parts of the country — Katara, Sports City, Lusail, and the deserts — depending on the wind and weather conditions.
There will also be day and night kite flying activities, night glow, inflatable playgrounds, food trucks and other games for children.
There will also be roaming acts, featuring stilt walkers, dancers and parades from 4.00pm to 9.40pm.
The Qatar Balloon Festival, which is free of charge to visit, will conclude on December 18.
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