Rising to the occasion
FAMILY fun was in abundance at the Northampton Balloon Festival as visitors made sure the wet weather did not dampen their enthusiasm.
The 16th festival took the theme of engaging all ages and, even without the balloons for much of the weekend, most revellers found plenty of entertainment elsewhere.
A high number of visitors – whose numbers were slightly depleted on previous years, owing to the rain – turned to the funfair, which dominated the site in the evenings with its bright illuminations.
David Hunter, aged 30 from Hardingstone said: "I must have been on about every ride and I'll probably go round again. The rollercoasters have been the best bit and I would probably come to the festival just for those alone."
Trade stands also reported good sales – in particular teas and coffees – and stalls which dealt in umbrellas inevitably had a good festival.
The arena area showcased entertainment every afternoon of the festival from dancing JCBs to camel races and death-defying motorcycle jumps.
Mini enthusiasts from came from across Europe with 169 cars at the festival exciting the crowds with handbrake turns in their Saturday parade.
And Union Flag-carrying RAF parachute display teams even used the area as a landing pad, causing hundreds of pairs of eyes to look skyward every few hours.
Gary Hanson, aged 20 from Bugbrooke, said: "The guys jumping from the planes were my favourite. They came down so fast without warning I thought they were going to crash. Without the balloons, they were definitely the most spectacular thing at the festival."
Organisers only managed one session of flights over three days – on Friday evening – when 66 balloons gave Northampton the sight they had waited for.
The sporadic rain curtailed any further balloon activity with even the normally reliable tethering called off for the whole weekend.
However, the rain did bring some traditional sights such as the night time balloon glows, treating the crowds to spectacular shooting flames in time to music.
Matt Parsons of Northampton Borough Council events team said: "The festival has been a great success. We wanted to put on a show with something for everyone and I believe we've done that.
"Our thanks go to residents that live close to the Racecourse site for their co-operation during the weekend."
Police, who had 50 officers including PCSOs and specials at The Racecourse, also ruled the festival a triumph with only two crimes reported by visitors to the site.
Chief Inspector Sean Bell said: "This was a good three-day family event and, as in previous years, it was very low in crime.
"This was a very well-organised partnership event and everyone who attended seemed to have a great time."
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Weather for Northampton
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South west
