Hundreds attended the Miami Hot Air Balloon Festival on Feb. 20 and 21 at Tamiami Park, across from Florida International University’s main campus.
“I think it’s really awesome to just see all different kinds of parts of Miami in one place,” said Tammy Reese, who drove about 45 minutes from Aventura alongside her sister.
The event, organized by Sky Adventures, opened at 5 p.m. each evening and featured tethered balloon rides, food vendors, merchandise, live music and a nighttime light show.
Pilots and crews spent the early hours preparing the balloons, unrolling fabric across the grass and filling them with hot air using propane burners. Pilot Dion Frank, who has been flying since 1999, said weather conditions are critical.
“Very, very important, check the weather,” he said. “Make sure it is going to be calm on the surface because if it’s windy, it gets very dangerous because this balloon just goes with the wind.”
Strong winds limited how high some balloons could rise, keeping Frank’s balloon close to the ground. Still, families lined up for rides from other balloons as the sun set.
“It was amazing. I’ve always wanted to go,” said first-timer Amanda Reese, who also traveled from Aventura.
Even with windy conditions keeping some balloons lower than planned, attendees said the experience was still worth the trip.
