The skies above an American airport will soon by filled with some very familiar faces once the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning gets underway.
Ahead of the release of the new Star Wars movie in December, the event will pay homage to some of the film series’ most popular characters in balloon form.
The festival will take place between 24th-26th July at Solberg Airport in Readington, New Jersey, with the main attractions being balloons in the shape of Darth Vader and Master Yoda. While the former has been flying since 2007, the latter will be launched for the first time at the event.
Speaking about the movie-themed balloons, the festival’s executive producer, Howard Freeman, told My Central Jersey:
“Everyone has their dark side, mine happens to be 86-feet-tall.”
He was referring to the Darth Vader craft, which is eight-storeys high, 69-feet wide, and 705 pounds when inflated.
He added:
“Darth Vader is one of the most recognizable characters in movie history and one of the most popular special shapes in the history of the festival, too.”
The Darth Vader hot air balloon is capable of carrying two passengers, as well as a pilot, which means that some lucky people will get to ride in the basket beneath the iconic character.
Of course, there is no need to travel abroad to enjoy ballooning, as there are many festivals and events across Britain that feature hot air balloon rides, from South Wales to the South of England.
