🎎 Saga International Balloon Festival

Every autumn, a five-day aerial sports event is held on the riverbed of the "Kase River" flowing through the central eastern part of Saga Prefecture. Over 120 teams participate each year, gathering renowned pilots and staff from around the world. It is the largest event of its kind in Asia, attracting more than 800,000 visitors. During the event, a variety of competitions take place. These include the "Pacific Cup," which ranks teams based on total points accumulated over the five days, and the "Balloon Fantasia," where characters and animals are transformed into giant hot air balloons. There is also the "Hot Air Balloon Classroom," where experts explain the structure and features of balloons in an easy-to-understand manner, among many other exciting activities. At night, the "Mongolfier Nocturne" lights up the riverbed with red flames from torches illuminating the hot air balloons. Accompanied by lively background music, the scene becomes truly breathtaking as all the lights are illuminated simultaneously at the signal of "light the fire." In addition to hot air balloons, the venue offers various delicious food and fun activities, including stalls selling local delicacies and specialties, as well as musical performances by artists. Furthermore, please note that hot air balloon-related activities may change depending on the weather conditions at that time, so stay alert.

Every autumn, a five-day aerial sports event is held. During the event, there are various competitions, attracting over 800,000 hot air balloon enthusiasts. The venue features stalls selling a variety of local delicacies and specialties. In addition to hot air balloons, there are also exciting performances, including concerts by musicians.