‘I went to the Northampton Balloon Festival at the Racecourse for the first time in 15 years – here’s what I thought’

When you think of Northampton Balloon Festival, you instantly think of the Racecourse and the good times you’ve spent there – so it was great to see it return for the first time in more than a decade.

Though I can only speak on my experience of Sunday (August 20), I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon and believe this weekend put the Balloon Festival back on the map.

I arrived just after midday and having bought my ticket ahead of time, I entered with ease – but it didn’t take long, as the hours went by, for the crowds to build as thousands of people eagerly went to check out the festival’s return to the Racecourse.

Having wandered around the site – scoping out the marquees, stalls, food and drink vendors, entertainment areas and fairground rides – the community marquee was my first point of call.

It was great to see lots of friendly faces from important groups across Northampton, particularly Knife Crime Victim Support, Air Ambulance, Northants Litter Wombles, C2C Social Action and Cynthia Spencer.

Having stopped to have a chat with the Knife Crime Victim Support team, they were continuing to have and start such important conversations about our town and county.

After exiting that marquee and passing the popular big wheel in the centre, I had a browse of the independent businesses located in the craft marquee.

Quackers Bakery was a favourite, having returned at the end of my visit to pick up some sweet treats – when the stall had almost sold out.

Dotted around the rest of the festival were a variety of other stalls. From unique ceramics, slush puppies and pick and mix, to popular Northampton business Friars Farm – whose produce and preserves appeared popular among visitors.

After the first hour of having a mooch, my parents and I sat down on our blanket ready to watch the entertainment at the top of each hour.

It was great to see how involved families got in the American Civil War re-enactment while the sun was shining.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Stannage International Stunt Show at 2pm, when big crowds gathered to see the impressive stunts by the team. A performance like that is just what the Balloon Festival is all about and was reminiscent of what used to take place on the Racecourse all those years ago.

You could tell so much attention to detail had been put into the organisation of the event – from making sure the play area was included in the penned off area to keep children entertained, to how spacious it was and the fact there were plenty of toilet facilities.

The sun came out to play and for £2.75 each as we had pre-booked, we believe it was worth the money – and it is good to know it will go straight back into supporting the local event.

Though there were comments made on social media about difficulties accessing parking and the time spent queuing to enter, organisers Showtime Events Group made an effort to nip this in the bud. Having walked to the event myself and arrived ahead of the crowds, this is not something I can directly comment on.

There was a good variety on offer, in terms of craft, community and food stalls, but I would urge any businesses at the heart of our Northampton community to get involved next year.

With what I can only assume was thousands of people who attended over the course of the weekend, there is no better place to immerse yourself with people who want to support and spend their money with you.

It was sad to see people were quick to criticise the event when the hot air balloons were unable to take flight on the first two days of the festival.

As it is all dependent on the weather, it’s important to remember it is completely out of their control – and the balloon owners wanted to take flight more than anyone.

With better weather on Sunday after the balloon glow the night before, it was great to see they were able to take flight in the morning and evening.

I’ve seen lots of photos online of people both at the Racecourse and spotting them from their homes as they made their way over to Wellingborough.

With the balloons taking flight and the fireworks finale lighting up the sky, the weekend ended on a high for the event’s anticipated return to the Racecourse after a decade-and-a-half.

Community spirit was at the heart of the Balloon Festival and I’ll definitely be returning next year.