Second edition of Araku Balloon Festival from tomorrow

No possibility of rain during three-day event, says weatherman

A hot air balloon being tethered at The Park Hotel in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday ahead of the three-day festival which will begin from Friday.

The scenic Araku Valley will play host to the second edition of the Araku Balloon Festival, which will be organised by the Tourism Department from January 18 to 20.

Pilots from 15 countries including India, Brazil, Slovakia, Italy, UK, Thailand, USA, France, Spain, Malaysia, Netherlands, Australia, Germany, Japan and Belgium will showcase their flying skills at the three-day festival.

Tourism Secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena on Wednesday said the three-day event would have activities like morning balloon flights, scintillating balloon nightglows, tethered flights, and para-motoring displays and stunts.

Balloons will come in unique shapes, featuring iconic characters like Bruno Clown, Honey Bee, Baby Car and Happy Children, dotting the blue skies of the valley. Mr. Meena added that visitors to the valley can opt for a camping experience through which they can discover the cultural ethnicity of Araku, its aromatic coffee plantations and soothing waterfalls.

The first edition of the balloon festival was organised in November 2017, but intermittent bad weather played spoilsport, with several events being curtailed much to the disappointment of visitors.

Asserting that there would be no such dampener this time, Mr. Meena said the pilots had already conducted a two-day trial run in Araku and added that weather officials have ruled out the possibility of rain during the event. HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said the first edition of the festival had received an overwhelming response with over 4,000 online bookings being made for the balloon rides. Participants were chosen for the rides through a lucky draw.

Meanwhile, special tents are being erected at the camping site at Bosubeda village in Araku, where the participants of the festival will be accommodated.

Events galore

The Tourism Secretary said that Visakhapatnam had been hosting a number of events every year including the balloon festival, yacht festival and Visakha Utsav. He added that it was proposed to develop a Buddhist circuit in the Visakhapatnam region and conduct festivals related to it.