Official Website of the Northampton Balloon Festival

Around 20 balloons took to the skies of Northamptonshire this morning as the Northampton Balloon Festival kicked off it’s third year at Billing Aquadrome.

With light surface winds taking the balloons to the south east of the county, it really was a sight to see.

If you have any pictures from the morning please email them to web@thenorthamptonballoonfestival.co.uk and we will get them on the website.

The next pilot briefing is at 18:00

Only 2 days remain until the Northampton Balloon Festival 2011 gets underway at Billing Aquadrome.

Have you ever wondered why Balloons only fly first  thing in the morning or a few hours before sunset? Or what sort of fuel does the Balloon use to keep it in the air?

Well look no further, we have put together a Frequently Asked Questions page to give you some inside knowledge of how ballooning works.

With only weeks to go until The Northampton Balloon Festival, Billing Aquadrome has announced a reduction in Car Parking charges for this years event.  At the start of the year Billing Aquadrome confirmed the cost of a Car to park (up to 5 people) was £15 and has been reduced to £10!

Daily admission rates for 19th / 20th / 21st August to include both shows

Pedestrians Adults £5
Child 5-15 yrs £2.50
Vehicles (all prices include passengers and secure parking)
Car (up to 5 people max) £10 (reduced from £15)
MPV (Up to 8 people max) £25
Camping Pitches available for the w/e starting at £70 inc admission charges

THIRTY hot air balloons, including the world’s largest, have already signed up for next month’s Northampton Balloon Festival.

The annual event, in its 22nd year, will be held at Billing Aquadrome for the third time.

Around 40,000 visitors are expected to watch the twice daily spectacle of the balloons launching into the sky over the three days.

Balloons have been launching over the past few weekends over the skies of Northampton in preparation for the festival between Friday, August 19 and Sunday, August 21. Read the rest of this entry »

With less than 70 days until The Northampton Balloon Festival kicks off at Billing Aquadrome, the Balloons Booked to Attend page of the website has been updated.

It shows a selection of the Balloons that are to take to the skies of Northampton (weather depending of course!) between 19-21 August 2011.

Taking part this year is the popular Palletways Dragon Shape balloon, BT, New Holland Agriculture and Omega Resources Balloons just to name a few!

Why not take a look for yourself here

Remember, the whole event will be kept updated on twitter @officialnbf

With the possibility of good weather approaching this weekend, local Pilot Chris Freeman along with fellow Pilot Jamie Edwards will take to the sky this Saturday morning (weather permitting) from the Launch site of the Northampton Balloon Festival at Billing Aquadrome.

This weekend marks exactly three months to the day until the event kicks off on Friday 19th August.

Live updates from the flight will be posted on Chris’ twitter account @freeman_chris, follow and find out exactly what goes on in a Balloon when it leaves the ground!

With the ballooning season now in full swing and with 144 Days until the 2011 Northampton Balloon Festival, the Chiltern Region Balloon and Airship Club flew from the launch site of the Northampton Balloon Festival on Sunday 27th March.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Northampton Balloon Festival is located at Billing Aquadrome (by the side of the A45 to the East of Northampton Town Centre) – just follow the yellow signs.

Day visitors on foot

Adults £5

Children £2.50

Cars – £15.00 per day, to include passengers and secure parking.

Motorbikes – £10.00 per day to include passengers and all day secure parking.

For more information regarding camping and parking, please phone Billing Aquadrome on 01604 408181

We are pleased to announce that the balloonist application forms are now available to download. Places this year are to be restricted so please apply early. Closing date for balloon application forms and deposit – 1st July 2011.

Please click here to download the form

If you have any queries regarding the event or your application please contact

balloons@thenorthamptonballoonfestival.co.uk

Our new updated Northampton Balloon Festival website for 2011 has gone live today.

Keep an eye on the website over the coming months for balloonist application forms and for all the information you will need to know in the run up to the event.