Thousands expected to see the sky light up at Tiverton Hot Air Balloon Festival

THOUSANDS of people are set to descent on the town for the Tiverton Hot Air Balloon Festival next month.

The event which is the first hot air balloon in the town for 23 years and will see dozens of balloons light up the night sky on the evenings of Friday 20 and Saturday 21 of May as balloons will ignite their burners and transform thousands of cubic feet of balloon into giant light bulbs, all synchronised to the sound of music.

Conducting the spectacle will be Music Technology graduate James Thompson BSc (Hons). He said: "The fire and light shows promise to be a fantastic event, with giant balloons lighting up the sky in time to some of the greatest music ever written, as well as a number of well-known pop songs - they’re sure to be magical evenings."

Also recently confirmed to join the show, and its first public display in the UK this year, will be a radio controlled model helicopter ‘lightship’ performing in the sky above the balloons and adding some extra excitement to the proceedings.

Fifty balloons, including several ‘special shapes’ will be attending this three day family festival which will introduce ballooning to the public along with raising money for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT) and Exeter Leukaemia Fund (ELF).

Live music, children's entertainment, hot air balloon mass ascents, model aircraft displays, public interaction sessions with pilots and their balloons, catering, a beer tent, and family picnic areas are just some of the attractions to look forward to over the weekend.

In addition to free car parking, a free bus service running from seven locations in and around Tiverton, Halberton and Sampford Peverell has also recently been confirmed, giving as many locals as possible the chance to attend the first ballooning festival in Mid Devon since 1988. Arthur Street, Event Director, added: "This is a significant event for the local area and we’re delighted to be able to offer residents free transport. We’re very grateful to Tiverton Town Council for helping us to provide this valuable service."

For more information on this, see the Tiverton Hot Air Balloon Festival on Facebook or at www.tivertonballoonfestival.co.uk