[CARI Info Kiosk] 28-31/3 5th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, Precinct 2, Putrajaya

cef_admin2 · Post time 18-3-2013 10:15 AM

2013 5th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Date: 28 - 31 March 2013 (Thursday - Sunday)

Time: 7.00 am - 9.00 pm

Venue: Monumen Alaf Baru in Precinct 2, Putrajaya [Free Admission]

The 5th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2013 is well on its way to take off to blue skies this March 28th. The fiesta, an annual affair being held for the fifth time this year, has received overwhelming support from international balloonists, potential sponsors and the general public since it first took to the skies five years ago.

The fiesta, jointly organized by AKA Balloon Sdn. Bhd. and Perbadanan Putrajaya, will be held over four days from the 28th till the 31st March at the Monumen Alaf Baru in Precinct 2, Putrajaya. More than 20 balloons from 12 countries have thus far confirmed their participation in this year’s fiesta.

The announcement of the fiesta was officially made today at a press conference held with organizers and sponsors of the fiesta. Mohammad Sobri Saad, Chairman of the 5th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta said, “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity to, once again, put Malaysia on the international map of ballooning. Since the inception of the first Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta back in 2009, Malaysia has grown to become one of the more popular Asian destinations for the ballooning community.”

YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) Aseh Bin Haji Che Mat, President, Perbadanan Putrajaya also shared, “the fiesta now running in its fifth year is a true testament to both Perbadanan Putrajaya and AKA Balloons Sdn Bhd’s commitments to the success of this event and achieving the objective of transforming Putrajaya and Malaysia into a world-class venue for international events.”

Every morning from 7am to 9am over the four days of the fiesta, balloonists will participate in a ballooning competition, vying for “Rudy’s Trophy”, a special trophy which has been named after the late-fiesta chairman and co-founder, Mr Khairuddin Abd Rani. For the competition, one pre-determined balloon, known as the “hare” will take off first. The other participating balloons, known as the “hounds”, will launch at pre-determined intervals after the hare. The hare balloon then lands at a suitable site and lays out a large piece of fabric, forming the letter ‘X’, marking this as the target. The hound balloons then attempt to drop their markers as close to the centre of the ‘X’ as possible. The closest marker to the ‘X’ achieves the highest score.

In the evening of the four days, these balloonists will again take to the skies for a flying hot air balloon show at 6 pm. In addition to watching these balloonists in action, visitors to the fiesta over the four days can look forward to a myriad of activities which will be made available to the public. These include helicopter joy rides on Saturday and Sunday only, tethered hot air balloon rides from 7.30 am to 10.30 am and from 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm daily, model Hot Air Balloon demonstrations, meet and greet sessions with the balloonists and the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone for adventure-minded visitors.

“For families looking for a place to keep their kids entertained during the school holidays, the fiesta offer lots of exciting activities that will keep the young ones occupied – from coloring competitions and stage performances by cartoon characters to carnival games and rides,” shares Ms Izzati Khairudin, the Event Director for the fiesta.

The 5th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2013 will also see the return of the widely-talked about and highly anticipated “night glow” event on the night of 30th March 2013 (Saturday night), where the balloons light up in a synchronized manner to the sounds of music, culminating in a fireworks display.

To symbolize their commitment towards the event, the fiesta’s sponsors and partners were in attendance during the signing – Toyota (as Official vehicle), Mountain Dew (as Extreme Zone Sponsor), Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside (as Official Hotel), Schmidt Marketing Sdn Bhd (as Official Sport Optics), QSR Brands Holdings Sdn Bhd, Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd and KLIA Transit (Event Partners), KL International Jazz Festival (Music Partner), Cari.com.my (as official online media), 988, Suria FM, Red FM (as official radio partners) and Instagrammers Malaysia (as official Instagram partner).

No admission fee will be imposed on visitors to the fiesta. Visitors are encouraged to take the KLIA Transit to Putrajaya as KLIA Transit will be offering members of the public a 30% discount on ticket rates during the four days. From the Putrajaya station, members of the public can take then hop on to the Nadi Putra buses which will take them directly to the fiesta grounds.

Alternatively, visitors can also choose to drive to any of Putrajaya’s ‘Park & Ride’ points and hop on the Nadi Putra buses which will also be able to take them directly to the fiesta. Visitors who wish to find out more about the fiesta can log on to the official website at www.myballoonfiesta.com. Interested visitors are also encouraged to follow their official facebook page, Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, their twitter account, @myballoonfiesta as well as their Instagram account, @myballoonfiesta #myballoonfiesta.

The 5th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012 is organized by AKA Balloon Sdn. Bhd, Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPj) and Malaysian Sports Aviation Federation (MSAF).

Last edited by cef_admin2 on 25-3-2013 11:53 AM