It’s less than a week to go before the yearly Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. It will still be held at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga this coming February 9-12, 2012 (Thursday to Sunday). I was able to experience last year’s 16th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta with my high school friends and it was such a fun and nice experience especially for first timers.

Here are some important FAQ’s in case you’re planning to attend this year’s event:

1) Entrance Fee? P200

2) Where to buy tickets? At the gate, at any SM Ticketnet outlet, or at ROX Bonifacio Global City and ROX Marquee Mall Clark

3) What time should I go there? 5am would be an ideal time for you to be at the main entrance so you can avoid the crowd and see the morning balloon flights.

4) Do the balloons fly in the afternoon? Yes but only on Thursday and Friday. The balloons do a fly-in wherein they try to fly back into the main grounds. On Saturday and Sunday, balloons are on NIGHT GLOW. This is when the balloons stay on the ground but will inflate beautifully together in the evening.

5) Can I ride the balloon? Yes but it’s on a first-come-first-serve basis. You will need to line up at the Information Booth early in the morning to register for a balloon ride. A contribution of $200 per person is required. Children should be at least 10 years old to ride.

6) Are small children allowed inside? It’s an event for the whole family so bring your grandparents and your kids too! Children 2 years old and below can enter for free.

7) Are outside food allowed? Yes, but there are 50+ food concessionaires inside

In our case, we just watched the hot air balloons took off in the morning. We left  past 8AM, took a mass at the beautiful (and air conditioned) Our Lady of Remedies Church inside Airforce City also in Clark, and had our lunch at Raymond Razon’s Halo-halo where we learned how to eat halo-halo the proper way :D.

The Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is more than just balloons! Other activities include skydiving, paragliding, aerobatics, ultralight flights, RC aircraft displays, professional kite exhibitions and more. You may get the event schedule per day here.

Click here to view my post on last year’s 16th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.