Balloon Fiesta 2008 - Night Glow

This year was the 30th Anniversary of the Balloon Fiesta. Lauded as the best in the country, and one of the best in the region, the organizers were extravagant. The theme of the presentation was party and celebration.

When the long wait is at last over, and you see the glowing shapes rising from the ground, it is hard to describe the exhilaration.

Before you knew it, all the balloons were up and the flame danced to the tune of the party songs. As they each light up in turn, this is one of the most beautiful man made spectacles that I've seen in a while. Even though we are a good distance from the balloons, we can still feel the heat as it lit up. I wonder how warm it will be for the pilots and ground crews along. Words will not describe it. You have to be there among the cheering crowds and unending flashing cameras like glistering stars to appreciate it fully.

Then came something even better, fireworks lit the sky as the balloons deflated.

It was with such loud and colorful display the first night of this years Balloon Fiesta ended. Too bad the unkind weather forced the second Night Glow and much of the Mass Ascent to be canceled. Some of my friend who went on Sunday didn't even manage to catch a glimpse of the floating giants.

It should be great if I get to attend it once more under more favorable weather conditions in the coming year. But for that splendid night, it ended perfectly. As I trekked home in an hour to midnight along with the dispersing crowds, I finally took a picture of the suspension bridge with lights on. Its cool illumination, the mirror reflection in Avon below, complemented by the golden lights of the city street lamps, it is hard to ask for more.