The 6th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will be gracing Putrajaya skies 27-30 March 2014

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6th International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Brings Colour to Putrajaya Skies in March 2014

The 6th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2014 will return to its home in Precinct 2, Putrajaya this coming March. The wholesome family fun affair will be held once again over the course of four days from March 27th to 30th, featuring another amazing line-up of international balloonists and a new variety of attractions and side events.

The 6th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2014 will return to its home in Precinct 2, Putrajaya this coming March. The wholesome family fun affair will be held once again over the course of four days from March 27th to 30th, featuring another amazing line-up of international balloonists and a new variety of attractions and side events.

By Gaya Travel on January 27, 20145 minutes read

Putrajaya, Malaysia, 17^th January 2014 – The 6^th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2014 will return to its home in Precinct 2, Putrajaya this coming March. The wholesome family fun affair will be held once again over the course of four days from March 27^th to 30^th, featuring another amazing line-up of international balloonists and a new variety of attractions and side events.

The announcement of the fiesta dates was officially revealed yesterday at a launch event in Putrajaya, in conjunction with Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPj) ’s launch of their 2014 Calendar of Events. The calendar features the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta as the main event that will be held in Putrajaya in March 2014.

Mohammad Sobri Saad, Chairman of the 6th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta said, “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity once again to put Putrajaya on the international map as a must-see destination for balloon events. We believe that homegrown events like the Fiesta presents Malaysia as a more wholesome tourist destination in Southeast Asia”.

The Federal Territory Minister, Datuk Seri Utama Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, attended the launch event yesterday to officiate the 6^th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The minister said in the span of 10 years, Putrajaya has attracted tourists from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Middle East. “This can be seen from the number of tourists that have visited the places of interest in Putrajaya. The capital saw a total of 1.83 million and 1.85 million tourists for 2012 and 2013, respectively,” he said.

The minister also added that Perbadanan Putrajaya should increase their promotions for the events in schedule in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Also in attendance at the launch was Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr) Aseh bin Hj Che Mat, President of Perbadanan Putrajaya, who mentioned that the 6^th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is one of the 88 events that is listed in PPj’s Calendar of Events, and although PPj is not the main sponsor for every event held, they are working very closely with the event organizers, one of them being AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd.

The launch event today also unveiled a line-up of six colourful special-shaped balloons that will be attending 2014’s Fiesta – Buzzy, the green monster balloon from the United States, a pair of love ‘Bees’ – cartoon bee characters also from the United States, an ice cream cone-shaped balloon hailing from Belgium, a heart-shaped balloon from Taiwan and the ever popular return of the Darth Vader balloon from Belgium.

Every year at the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, a friendly competition between hot air balloon pilots are held, called Rudy’s Trophy, known in other countries as the Hare & Hound competition. Every morning, the ‘hare’ balloon takes off a few minutes ahead of the other balloons. The hare’s role is to locate a suitable landing area where he proceeds to drop a mark as a target for the other balloons. The ‘hounds’ – the other balloons, will attempt to drop a mark closest to the hare’s target. The balloon that manages to drop a mark closest to the target collects the highest points. Points are accumulated throughout the four days and the balloon with the highest scores is awarded Rudy’s Trophy. In the evening, the balloonists will again host a free-flying show at 6pm.

Featuring a variety of other side activities and mini-events, the Fiesta’s packed itinerary lists activities for every generation – from sky-grazing attractions like helicopter joy rides held on Saturday and Sunday (9.00am-4.00pm) to the always popular tethered hot air balloon rides held daily (7.30am-10.30am/6.30pm-9.30pm), including the return of the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone – the perfect avenue for the more adventurous at heart. A truly wholesome and fun family experience, the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta allows the public to get closer to the ballooning experience by having daily meet and greet sessions with the international balloonists, who are more than happy to share their tales of airborne adventure and their love for the hot air balloons.

“Families are now looking to occupy their weekends with fun-filled day-outs during weekends and the school holidays, and our event is the best place for you to do so. We love the idea of a day out with the family, having fun, splashing about and taking loads of colourful pictures that will leave a long-lasting experience for you and your family, therefore we strive to provide just that,” shares Mrs. Izzati Khairudin, Event Director of the Fiesta.

Returning to The 6^th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta by popular demand is the explosive ‘Night Glow’ event, where hot air balloons and strobe lights are lit up in sync to the sounds of popular music, creating a glorious atmosphere before culminating in a display of fireworks.

Committed to making this year’s Fiesta happen, in attendance at the launch event were the fiesta’s sponsors and partners – Mountain Dew (as Extreme Zone Sponsor), Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd, MyTeksi and KLIA Transit (as Event Partners), 8TV, Cari.com.my, Capital FM, 988 FM, Suria FM, Red FM and SaveMoney.My & Tom Manas Outdoor Sdn. Bhd. (as Media Partners).

Admission is free. Visitors are encouraged to take the KLIA Transit to Putrajaya as they will be offering members of the public discounts of up to 35% on return ticket sales during the four days. Mobile taxi booking service MyTeksi will also be providing a RM15 cash back promotion for anyone who books a taxi to the event using the MyTeksi mobile application. From the Putrajaya station, members of the public can hop on to the Nadi Putra buses, which will take them directly to the fiesta grounds.

Visitors who wish to find out more about the fiesta can visit www.myballoonfiesta.com, or follow their Facebook page, Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, and their Twitter account, @myballoonfiesta as well as their Instagram account, @myballoonfiesta.

The 6^th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2014 is organized by AKA Balloon Sdn. Bhd, Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPj) and the Malaysian Sports Aviation Federation (MSAF).