Giants of Hot Air Ballooning
Hot air ballooning has evolved over two centuries and today there are some astonishing balloons and events for all to see. To give you a taste of what is out there, Sun Fun has found the largest hot air balloon and the biggest balloon festival in the world:
Biggest hot air balloon:
Bunnies are generally thought of as cute and furry hairballs that you just want to pet. At no point do they make your jaw drop to the floor in disbelief due to their awesomeness and mammoth size – that is until you have seen the Energizer Bunny Hot “Hare” Balloon. Considered the tallest balloon in the world, this giant beast is 15 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty and weighs in at half a ton, promising a completely unique hot air balloon flight to those lucky enough to board the basket. The Energizer Bunny is 166 feet from the base of his feet to the tip of his ears and during flights, other standard balloons are dwarfed by its size as just its ears alone are as tall as the standard balloon. If the Energizer Bunny could wear shoes, it would need a 98 EEEEE in US size, with its balloon sandals being 60 feet long, 12 feet wide and four feet deep. Creating this majestic hot air balloon took 5 000 linear yards of fabric (60 feet wide) and 84 miles of thread.
Biggest hot air balloon festivals:
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico, USA, takes place in early October annually and is considered as the largest festival in the world. This nine-day even attracts around 750 balloons, with pilots from around the world in attendance. The fiesta began back in 1972 as part of the 50th birthday celebration of KOB Radio. As the popularity of the event grew, organisers had to eventually limit the amount of entries after having to manage 1 019 balloons in the year 2000. The festival has a number of events that take place over the nine days, and balloons are launched from Balloon Fiesta Park which is located on the northern edge of the city. In 2005, the success of the festival was celebrated with the opening of the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum which focuses on the history of the event as well as that of hot air ballooning.
