“She dreamt of flying”
Her dreams are as high as a hot air balloon
In the skies they fly, as free as a kite
Passing lights boomed the sky
With music so loud, she felt the ground
With winds blowing, she’ll capture the sunlight
With this hot air balloon, she’ll seize the night
This is a poem I made while I was at the second Lubao International Balloon Festival, (LIBF) the biggest annual hot air balloon festival in Southeast Asia.
Some of the sponsors of LIBF are UNTV 37, a Philippine television station owned by Progressive Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and operated by Breakthrough and Milestones Productions International, Wish 1075 FM, the first with Mobile FM radio booth bus and Philippine Bloggers Network.
The event that ran from March 26 to 29, 2015 featured more than 40 hot air balloons from different countries from Europe and USA, including Germany and Malaysia.
I had my transportation free of charge as I rode the Wish FM radio booth bus going to Lubao, Pampanga, where the event was held.
With just 250 pesos, I enjoyed a lot and had a chance to unwind from the Metro’s everyday stress.
SM Pampanga’s hot-air balloon being blown || Photo Credit: Rob Clarita
The sky was filled with special balloons with stunning designs: a Darth Vader shaped balloon soaring up the sky got me thinking, what if Luke Skywalker is up above and saw Darth Vader, would he be happy to see him? (Luke Skywalker is Darth Vader’s son in the movie Star Wars) There was also Humpy Dumpy who do not sat on a wall, but is flying as a hot air balloon (Based on nursery rhyme Humpy Dumpy)
Though the weather back then was hot, still it’s fun to watch hot air balloon like Clown, Yoda and Frog fly high up above the sky.
Birthday Cake hot-air shaped balloon made me crave for food. As a response to my tummy’s call, I went to the Food Festival. There were a lot of vendors, that you wouldn’t mind being hungry more than 3 times. I suddenly realized the event was not held just for fun but also, it improved the possibility of tourism growth in the city and helped the locales in their living.
Kite-flying was also possible for some who attended the event because it was held at an open field in Barangay Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga. There are several ways to unwind on events like this, it just needed a piece of a creative mind and an adventurous soul to do so.
Para-gliders catching the sunset||Photo Credit: Rob Clarita
At night, is the astonishing Fireworks Display. It was almost impossible to translate my astonishment into words. It has always been magnificent to watch lights burst from the sky in a distance as close as it was from that display. I guess it’s best enjoyed by couples and of those die-hard romanticists. But even if you’re not that romantic, who could resist the fireworks? I bet Katy Perry would agree. (Katy Perry sang a song entitled Fireworks)
Other activities happened such as: Balloon Fight, Motor Paragliding Show, Night Glow, Bazaar, Cultural Presentation, Paint Ball Exhibition, Carnival Rides and ATV Rides. I’ve seen a lot of families and a lot of laughter during the event, thus one can conclude that LIBF is not just an international competition but also brings the family closer together
Miniature hot-air balloon as souvenirs || Photo Credit: Rob Clarita
Bands and performers rocked the four-day event. The Chocolate Factory and Eureka performed on March 26. Following them were the Final Four of The Voice of the Philippines Season 2: Alisah Bonaobra, Rence Rapanot, Leah Patricio and Jason Dy together with DJ Papi. Kamikazee and DJ Euric performed on March 28. And in March 29, we enjoyed Mitoy with the Draybers.
No wonder, LIBF is a must-see balloon festival in Southeast Asia. Come next year, God-willing, I will visit the LIBF again for this event is a truly fun affair in a hot summer days like these.
Other info: Tickets can be purchased at SM ticket outlets located at SM Cinema area or you can visit http://www.smtickets.com for online purchases.
LIBF was organized by Pilipinas InternationalBalloon Festival, Inc. (PIBF) together with Arts, Culture and tourism office (ACTO) and Provincial Government of Pampanga.
Writing Lane 