Hot air balloons are seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 13, 2020. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Wake up with Canberra in breeze and see how colorful balloons paint the sky.
CANBERRA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- When first ray of the sun came to the Australian capital, Canberra woke up to see colorful balloons in different shapes decorating the sky.
Many pilots steered their balloons across Lake Burley Griffin, while some others were making final preparation before taking off.
Hot air balloons are seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 13, 2020. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
This year, the Canberra Balloon Spectacular runs from last Saturday till the upcoming Sunday (7-15), attracting visitors and pilots from across the world.
Some of the visitors even arrived before dawn, with a cup of hot coffee in their hands, and waited with their families while the balloons were being inflated.
Hot air balloons are seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 12, 2020. (Photo by Liu Changchang/Xinhua)
"It is such a magical experience to come out, before the sun has even come up in often quite chilly mornings, and to watch the balloons take shape," said Sarah Boyd, assistant director of event delivery, about the charm of Balloon Spectacular.
"It's a magical experience listening to the sounds of the burners as they put the hot air into the balloons, and seeing them stand up ... and float off into the air," she said.
A hot air balloon is seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 13, 2020. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
About 50 pilots took part in the event this year, with 35 balloons. Boyd said they expected to have a total of 50,000 to 60,000 visitors to the event.
"Many more people take up vantage points around the lake and even actually out on the lake in kayaks and row boats and paddle boards to enjoy the balloons," she said.
She told Xinhua that the event had been running for more than 30 years, from a community event to the drawcard of Canberra nowadays.
A hot air balloon is seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 12, 2020. (Photo by Liu Changchang/Xinhua)
John Wallington, flight director of Canberra Balloon Spectacular, was a pilot himself who had been flying for 35 years around the world. He noted that for balloon competition, pilots should fly to a predetermined target.
"But this is just a fiesta and everybody is having fun," he said.
A hot air balloon is seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 11, 2020. (Photo by Liu Changchang/Xinhua)
However, the festival did has some requirement: pilots must have a minimum number of 50 flying hours, and the wind is no more than 10 to 15 kilometers an hour.
"In the city we're landing in parks or very small places. So we need quite calm winds," he said.
A hot air balloon is seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 12, 2020. (Photo by Liu Changchang/Xinhua)
Among all the pilots Chen Changling was from China. He had been flying balloon in Japan last month and was thus able to enter Australia after the coronavirus travel ban.
"I come here every year since 2015," said the 56-year-old pilot. "The event is among a few of its kind in which we could fly over the parliament house in a country's capital."
Hot air balloons are seen in the sky during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 13, 2020. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Chen said he was attracted by the scenery. "With mountains and lake, it is such a wonderful experience," he said, adding that after 20 minutes' preparation, the fuel could enable him to fly for a maximum of two hours.
Lyle Roberts watched the balloons taking off with his son. What interested him were the special balloons each year. "Last year they had a big dog," he said. This year's highlight was a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) from Canada.
A boy wearing a green dinosaur one-piece pajama passes by a Tyrannosaurus Rex balloon during the annual Canberra Balloon Spectacular festival in Canberra, Australia, March 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xu)
Roberts' son, three and a half years' old, was wearing a green dinosaur one-piece pajama. Sitting on his father's shoulders, the boy was excited to see the T-Rex balloon being inflated.
In fact, the 30-year-old father had the same childhood experience. "I grew up in Canberra, and have been coming to the festival since I was a kid ... perhaps a bit older than him," he said. "It's nice to get out in the morning and just see all the people come up."■
