My trip to the 17th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark

Tickets to the event

I was really anticipating this event since last year and finally I had the opportunity to see the spectacle yesterday for the first time. The girlfriend and I went on a day trip thru a tour package I saw online in this link. There may be other offers but this is the only one I saw offering a round trip bus transfer from Manila to Clark (and vice versa) plus ticket entry to the event.

Well at first, I thought the hot air balloons will be available throughout the day but when I saw the schedule of activities, the balloons are only inflated early in the morning, around 5.30 am then again in the afternoon towards sunset at 5.45 pm. Obviously we can't make it in the morning since the bus left Manila at 7.30am. The bus travel to Clark was fine but traffic started when we got nearer to the event place. Since it's also a Saturday, there were a lot of people with private vehicles going to the event.

Balloons at the entrance

Balloons from Sun and Canon

It was a clear day when we arrived at the venue. Good thing it's a little windy but the sun is really bright and the weather is hot, almost like summer. There were a lot of booths inside the venue from souvenir shops, food stalls, automobile displays, camera booth, air crafts and many more. Since the venue is an air base, the hangars were converted to shelter some of these booths. There were also some air shows like sky diving, kite exhibition and paragliding.

Stalls inside the venue

One of the hangars converted to accommodate people and stalls

The girlfriend and I spent the morning strolling around the venue. We made sure to use sunblock for our skin and an umbrella to block the sun. We stopped an hour before noon to rest and eat lunch. We started strolling again in the afternoon and good thing, clouds began to form already and eventually blocked the sun. We stopped again to grab some snack and resumed a few hours before the inflation of the balloons.

It was very tiring but we had fun in the venue especially because it's our first time to attend the event. For those who haven't tried it, don't miss it next year. If you can stay overnight in Clark, please do and go to the event early in the morning to capture great shots. Also, be patient with the traffic as you'll encounter them to and from the event. Finally, be careful because there are a lot of people in attendance to watch this annual event. Maybe I'll come again next time, some time in the future.

Here are some more shots taken from the event: