The Red Setting didn’t stop Balloons over Waikato take to the skies. Not being a ticketed event, or relying on gate sales, gave them the freedom to think outside the box to keep delivering this iconic event to the many thousands of people who love the site of hot air balloons floating en masse across the city.
Balloon pilots and their balloons from all over New Zealand attended Balloons over Waikato. With no public attendance permitted at any of the events, they chose parks and launch sites every morning to make best use of the breeze to take them across different parts of the city to impact as many people as possible. The message was clear, ‘Look up to see us flying over your neighbourhood’….and they did. Thousands engaged with the event over event week, thrilled for the return of the balloons, many commenting on the joy they bring, especially in these stressful times. It’s an event for families and so many stories were shared of children’s delight in seeing the balloons.
With the ZURU Nightglow normally attracting close to 80,000 spectators, more thinking outside the box had to occur. The result was a stunning, never before seen show held on the grounds of FMG Stadium Waikato that was filmed and released online at the same time the ZURU Nightglow would normally have occurred.
The event stakeholders were hosted in pods of small numbers and treated to a special night of entertainment and a Glow Show performed on the hallowed rugby turf of FMG Stadium Waikato. The end result was truly spectacular, and the resulting online video watched by more than 20,000 on the Saturday evening.
Over the last three years, the event team have experienced running the 2020 event on the cusp of Covid, to last year’s event enjoying a record attendance and now having to run this years’s in the Red Setting. Covid has certainly been challenging for the events’ industry, but the team were determined that if it was possible to safely deliver an event in the Protection Framework, they would do it. In a country that has been starved of the joy of being part of an event in recent months, it was wonderful to be able to bring the magic of hot air ballooning to the community for everyone to enjoy.
The video is on Balloons over Waikato website so please go and enjoy www.balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz
