Hot air balloon event revisits US city 20 years later

September will see the return of a hot air balloon festival to Park City in Utah, which has not been held since the 1990s. It has been organised for the 20th and 21st of September, with the leading launch scheduled for between 7am and 9.30am each day. The festival is named Autumn Aloft after the season it takes place during, and this year it is hoping to attract around 2,500 spectators. Event organiser Monty Coates commented:

"Autumn is such a spectacular time in Park City. Park City begins to slow down just a bit, and the fall foliage is spectacular. Longtime Park City residents remember the original Autumn Aloft fondly and often question why Park City does not have a balloon festival.”

He also added that it was felt that the time was right to bring the balloon festival back, so that a new generation of the city’s visitors and residents could enjoy it. The Historic Park City Balloon Glow is planned for 8pm to 9.30 pm on the 20th, and will consist of three hot air balloons, which will have their baskets secured to the ground close to Swede Valley. The landing locations are still being considered, although it has been said by Meisha Lawson, who is a spokesperson for the festival, that residents of the neighbourhood next to the launch zone near the Park City School District Campus have been spoken to by representatives of the Autumn Aloft festival.