Hot air balloons at night wow spectators at the Dogwood Festival

Attendees of events at the Dogwood Festival, held in the Georgia National Fairgrounds, enjoyed a spectacle in the sky at the weekend. More than a dozen balloons lit the sky above the festival in what was the event’s first ever rally of hot air balloons. The event drew thousands of onlookers to the fairgrounds. Attendees also enjoyed tethered hot air balloon rides and live music at the festival, which was sponsored by regional television station WGXA. As the balloon spectacle took place at night, the balloons were lit up in the sky, glowing from within. Prior to the event, the Houston Home Journal used Twitter to call on volunteers to come forward. The organisers of the event said their aim was to use the facilities offered by the fairgrounds to help improve the festival’s profile, and bring a boost to the area’s tourism and visitor numbers. Stacy Campbell, who is the president and CEO the Perry Chamber of Commerce, said:

"These types of events that they don't normally produce that can draw a different crowd to the fairground is [sic] important because it lets the state know what this place is capable of, how beautiful it is and it gets people on the grounds, which is one of the most important things to us as the chamber of Perry.”

The hot air balloon events of Saturday were followed up by the Peach Blossom Cluster Dog Show on Sunday, which is one of the United States’ biggest dog shows.