Cappadocia to host 3rd int’l hot-air balloon festival

NEVŞEHİR

The third international Balloon Fest will bring together colorful hot air balloons featuring various special shapes between July 21 and 24 in Cappadocia, the historical region in Central Anatolia famous for its fairy chimneys, with the participation of 12 countries.

Fifteen classic and 25 special-shaped hot air balloons from 12 countries across the globe, namely England, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Brazil, Spain, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Türkiye, will grace the sky of Cappadocia for three days.

The Cappadocia International Hot-Air Balloon Festival will also feature balloon shows during sunrise, local tasting and music events, as well as parachuting, fog, laser and glowing balloon shows in the evening.

The festival will continue with the show by the famous Anadolu Ateşi (the Fire of Anatolia) dance group and several concerts.

During the event, seven separate flights will take place; four in the morning and three in the evening.

“Cappadocia, which has the highest number of passenger flights in the world, is a point where 156 balloons can fly at the same time, so every day is a festival for us,” said Halis Aydoğan, chairman of a hot air balloon company, adding that there were 86 applications in total.

Thousands of people will stay in Cappadocia for the festival, which is expected to contribute millions of Turkish Liras to regional tourism.

Some 477,757 people visited Cappadocia in May, a number nearly eight times higher than the same month the previous year, and some 381,761 in June, Nevşehir Governor’s Office announced.

The office listed the most visited sites of Cappadocia during the mentioned period: Ürgüp Museum, Hacıbektaş Archaeology Museum, Gülşehir St. Hean Church, Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı, Özkonak, Göreme, Zelve and Hacıbektaş Atatürk House.

Cappadocia is prominent for its unique volcanic cones, valleys, underground cities, boutique hotels and houses carved into the rock, as well as its churches, chapels and shelters used by early Christians fleeing the Roman Empire.

The region is preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage site.