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One of the few things guaranteed to get even the most hardened Londoner to crack a smile is the sight of a hot air balloon floating across the city. If you go into a nostalgic daydream when you spot one drifting through the sky, you’re going to absolutely lose it when you find out what’s in store for London next month.
If all goes well with the weather, up to 50 giant balloons will be launched heavenwards as part of the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta on Sunday June 5 as part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend.
The balloons will be launched from Battersea Park and head east over some of the city’s most iconic sights: Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
If previous years are anything to go by, we can expect to see blimps in all shapes and sizes from lions and koalas to giant trophies and minions, alongside more traditional orbs.
Running since 2015, the regatta is organised by Exclusive Ballooning as an aerial extension of the historic Lord Mayor’s Show, raising money for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. To date, the event has raised more than £250,000 for charity.
This will be the first time the capital has seen the aerial spectacle in two years after it was cancelled in 2020 (best guesses as to why) and called off again in 2021 thanks to bad weather.
In fact, the weather is an essential part of the proceedings. Conditions such as wind and rain have to be factored in before take-off is guaranteed. This means organisers have pencilled in several dates for the spectacle this year. One (May 22) has already been cancelled due to high winds.
2022 dates:
Sunday June 5
Sunday June 12
Sunday June 19
So write them on your calendar/phone/hand and set your alarm to the eye-watering time of 5.30am, which is when the balloons are set to take off, though it does mean that they’ll be silhouetted against a wonderful backdrop of the city sunrise. Just keep your fingers crossed that the wind’s blowing in the right direction.
Find out more about the Balloon Regatta here. Get updates on Exclusive Ballooning’s website and social channels.
More ways to celebrate the four-day Jubilee weekend in style.
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