The Balloon Fiesta hopes to fuel the passion of flying to both the young and the old to help move the aviation industry forward. It also hopes to create jobs and business opportunities by promoting Tourism.
The last time he’s been there was when he was about 8 years old. He had very fond recollection of that family bonding trip with a leisurely picnic, kite flying, watching aircraft shows and of course the giant balloons that were just on the ground for the visitors to marvel at.
Thrilled with his return to that memory, he takes his mom, brother, nephew and niece as well as the househelp for a weekend trip down to memory line.
Early morning traffic. It was but 5:00 AM but all roads heading to Clarkfield were already congested with traffic never seen by the stokedtraveler to happen in Angeles City. It took them 2 hours to get from Angeles City proper to Clarkfield which was usually just about 30 minutes away with normal traffic. By the time they arrived, most balloons were already up in the sky. While these looked nice from afar, there was no chance to take photos of them anymore.
Is this fog or dust? He wondered as he came closer to the event site. It would have been nice if the organizers thought about watering the grounds a little for the event. What appeared like morning fog was actually dust swirling around the field. It was definitely hazardous to everyone especially for the kids.
Bad weather. The weather was OK the previous days. However, it was gloomy on the last festival day. How unfortunate for the stokedtraveler to be visiting then. Bad weather also took its toll on two balloons that failed to lift off. Atleast there was a balloon that can be used for a photo op with the family
The stokedtraveler didn’t think of riding on a balloon this year after seeing that the cost was outrageously expensive ($200/head). At that rate, he can take 1-2 more adventure trips or maybe a pleasurable summer vacation.
The event was mostly a display of Philippine aircrafts and other military equipment. There were also lots of kites and concessionaire booths. Some RC and sky diving was also up for exhibition. If only there weren’t TOO MANY people it would’ve been a pleasant trip even without the balloons on the ground. The lines for photo ops on some aircrafts and equipment were too long and would take up most of the day tour’s time. It was disappointing to know that some of the good things went away throughout the years.
Back when the stokedtraveler was younger, there were fewer hotair balloons but atleast they’d leave some balloons on the ground all throughout the event. There was better crowd control and the place looked less like a tiangge than what it is today. Somehow it felt like the event was mostly for money-making than to really a modest exhibition of everything that flew.
After a few hours of battling the wave of crowds and long lines, the stokedtraveler and his family decided to cool it off in SM Clark for lunch. They all felt tired from having to go through long lines, taking in dust and the humid weather.
Later in the afternoon the stokedtraveler invited his mom and their househelp to go back to the festival to witness the balloons returning from their flight. He was also looking forward to the anticipated finale of the event – the night glow and fireworks. After getting stuck in traffic again for about an hour, they find themselves back in the same situation as when they were there in the morning. There were no hotair balloons! The organizers said that the balloons couldn’t return because of the weather condition. They did have one hotair balloon that went back and that served as the mini attraction for the second part of the event.
The much anticipated spectacular Sunday finale for the 17th Philippine hot air balloon festival in Clark Freeport , Pampanga ended up as a big letdown for the stokedtraveler. He’ll seriously consider a lot before visiting this festival again next year –especially the traffic!
Not all is lost. Looking at the previous day’s photos and youtube videos, the festival did look nice. It is best to just steer clear of the weekend crowd next time and really take that chance to visit during Thursday or Friday. More time to go around the shops and equipment plus more walking space to just enjoy family time.
Here’s a video of the glory that the stokedtraveler missed on this event:
video made by: sidenotes1
Price:
Regular event tickets cost P200/head. Senior Citizens get a discount at P160/head. Small kids are free to enter. To ride a balloon, an early reservation has to be made on the event site. This means you either have to be there VERY early or know one of the organizers to reserve you a slot. Balloon ride this year cost $200/head.
How to get there:
Inquire at Victory Liner bus stations for special trips to the event. You can also check out travel planners that organize trips to this festival every year. If you are not from Pampanga these are the best chances for you to catch the balloon lift off. Otherwise, commute to Dau, Pampanga and take a jeepney going C-point/Holy and ask to be dropped off to Clarkfield jeepney terminal. From there, ask which route leads to the hotair balloon site. There are also taxis that can be rented at P300/way.
How to get OUT of there:
Going out of the event site is the tricky part. There are only very few jeepneys compared to the number of people on the event. If you haven’t availed of group tours, it is best to bring your own transport or ask the taxi driver for his number so he can pick you up (another P300/way).
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