This year’s edition of the Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival is set to be led by a Japanese balloonist and world record holder.
The event, which is taking place between April 6-9, will be spearheaded by Sabu Ichiyosi.
Ichiyosi is a world record holder after managing to clock a time of 42 for a single flight in a hot air balloon. The pilot is now 71 years old and his appearance at the festival will mark the first time that the he has flown from Lubao’s Pradera Verde.
The festival is considered to be one of the biggest of its kind to take place in South East Asia. The chair of the event, Noel Castro, said that one of his ambitions is to make Pampanga, the city where the event takes place, the ballooning capital of the Philippines.
It will feature a total of 35 balloons from different countries, including the UK, the US, France, Germany, South Korea and Australia, as well as balloonists from the hosting Philippines. Balloons will come in a variety of shapes and sizes such as a heart, a lemon, a teapot and an octopus.
Organisers hope to surpass last year’s attendance figure of 100,000 people. One of the main draws for balloonists is the unique “box wind” which permits balloons to have a longer flight time at this time of year.
As well as the balloons, there will be a number of other events, including a carnival, a night glow, wakeboarding and fireworks. Musical entertainment will be provided by headline acts Redfoo, Bamboo and Alex Aiono.
Booking your own hot air balloon adventure is a great way to see the world from above.
