Today I managed to get hold of some great photos from last year’s Dubai Balloon Festival. The event was organised to launch the Dubai Shopping Festival, under the patronage of Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Apparently, he personally granted the organisers permission to stage flights in the restricted “no-fly” area directly over the city. The people in the streets below couldn’t believe their eyes!
The festival was held during the last two weeks of the year, and 72 balloons from 18 countries attended. Every morning, a large group of weird and wonderfully shaped balloons (including a turtle and a peacock) took off from Global Village, and afternoon flights were also launched from the Burj Al Arab. Much of the flying took place over the desert, providing some awesome views:
The crews and passengers were taken aback at the development which is going on here; the sudden transition from sand to city. Large swathes of the desert have been turned (temporarily) into building sites, where hotels, theme parks, housing developments and business “cities” are shooting up at extraordinary speed:
Here's a photo of the “Palm”, which gives a good impression of its size:
Some nights, the balloons would gather at the Dubai Creek to stage “night-glows”, tethered to the ground and flaring their burners in synch with music. There was a great response from local people, with many families going along to enjoy the spectacle.Rumour has it that another festival is planned for early 2008. Hopefully I'll be able to got hold of some more information. In meantime, watch this space.
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