16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and Clark Hotels

I’ve always taken Clark for granted. It’s probably because in my mind, I have associated it with client calls that I have to do for my day job. This past weekend was when I have opened my eyes to see that Clark can actually be a good place to use for promoting tourism for the Philippines. It was a nice place to visit, not just for work, but for entertainment, relaxation, physical activities and for good food!

I know for the past years, it has been continuously being built to be a tourist destination (although I don’t understand the posters that I saw in the streets featuring a picture of a convenience store promoting Clark as a tourist destination). But I have to give it to them, the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was quite an impressive event. For tourists and foreigners or even balikbayans who are reading our article, when you see an ad for the 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark for next year, book a ticket to the Philippines and see this amazing aviation show.

The Crowd at the 16th Philippine Intl Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Mount Arayat from a distance

16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

We stayed at the Hotel Stotsenberg. We booked five rooms for our family. The hotel was full, and I heard, so were the other hotels. If you want to enjoy a relaxing stay, book early! Here are some of hotels in Clark that you can stay in over the weekend.

Hotel Stotsenberg (045) 499-08888
Oxford Hotel (045) 499-1179 / 499-0695
Holiday Inn (045) 499-1179 / 499-0695
Hotel Vida (045)499-4387 / 499-0979
Fontana (045) 499-1179 / 499-0695
Mimosa (045) 499-1179 / 499-0695

The event site for the 16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was a vast expanse of land, where the hot air balloons were prepared and blown. If you want to see the preparation, be at the event site early. The balloons were set off at around 6:30 am, but we were there at 5:00 am. There were paragliders circulating the place to keep you entertained while the balloons are being blown.

It was entertaining to see the balloons take the shape of different things. One was a head of Darth Vader. The other balloon took the shape of a barn house. Another took the shape of a mushroom and the other a barrel with a pirate and a cat inside. After a while, these balloons are then set off into the sky.

For each of the four days, there were events that were lined up. The events started early morning and ended late at night. There were hundreds of spectators from different parts of the Philippines and even from other countries. It was an enjoyable event and I will definitely come back again for the 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta next year!

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