London Balloon Festival cancelled for fifth year in a row due to weather concerns

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The highly anticipated London Hot Air Balloon Festival has been cancelled for the fifth year in a row due to weather fears.

The Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta was due to take place in the capital on Sunday but has been cancelled for the fifth year in a row, and the second time this year after being postponed from July 7 due to windy conditions.

Organisers are hoping the event, which was due to start at 5am in Battersea Park, could now go ahead on July 28, after the last successful event took place in 2019.

The regatta is part of the historic Lord Mayor’s Show festivities, with 50 hot air balloons flying over central London to raise awareness and funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. It has raised more than £250,000 since 2015.

The 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the 2022 and 2023 editions were cancelled due to weather conditions.

Organisers have now announced that wind conditions have forced them to cancel Sunday morning’s flight, hoping to reschedule it for the following Sunday, which is the next of many possible dates scheduled each year.

They wrote on social media: “Unfortunately the predicted change in wind direction did not materialise and we have made the difficult decision to cancel this morning’s scheduled flight for the safety of all teams on board.

“We appreciate the support of everyone involved, especially the public who interacted with us and came to watch the flight.

“We now move on to our next reserve date, Sunday, July 28.”

Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge are among the landmarks the balloons are expected to fly over this year, organizers said, adding that Mayor Michael Mainelli is expected to lead the event.