Updates

2024 Regatta

Friday 26th July, 4pm

Sunday will be a lovely summers day with light winds and whilst perfect for a picnic in a park, sadly not suitable for ballooning over London.
Forecasts show very light winds on the surface and continuing up and beyond 3000ft. Balloons fly with the wind and therefore rely on this to carry them safely out of the City. With such little wind, it would take a very long time for them to clear the active airspace and also to fly out of the built up areas in the city to more open areas, which would allow for a safe landing.

We must take into account that we have up to fifty balloons of different sizes and shapes flying, with pilots of varying levels of experience and it is our responsibility to ensure that we only proceed when conditions allow for a safe and stable flight for all.

Light winds will effect multiple aspects of how a balloon flies. It can change the planned flight duration from one hour to three hours or more; it can mean having to carry more fuel cylinders in the basket to ensure there is enough duration to get to a safe landing spot and therefore no longer being able to carry passengers due to reducing weight and needing the space in the basket for fuel cylinders.

Flying over central London is a privilege and we must ensure that conditions are suitable and safe for not only launch but while in the air and landing.
We are therefore taking the difficult but correct decision to stand down Sunday 28th July.

Our team share in the frustration and disappointment of the decision to postpone due to not enough wind! However when you are dealing with something that is wholly weather dependent, that is the reality – in the same way the rain stops the cricket.

Whilst this was the last scheduled date for July, we will now coordinate with all relevant parties, to confirm if another standby date can be arranged for this year.
Thank you to all of the messages of support from around the world on all platforms. Arranging a mass hot air balloon flight over central London always carries a risk of postponement but as the support messages continue to say, that is not a reason not to try. We firmly believe it will be worth the wait!

Friday 26th July, 11am

We are monitoring a potential weather slot for Sunday 28th July and are now on AMBER ALERT.

While it looks set to be a nice day on Sunday, the forecast shows light winds both on the surface and at altitude. In order for us to safely fly, we must ensure that there will be sufficient upper winds for balloons to clear the built up areas and not remain stuck over London. We will continue to monitor closely throughout the day.

We will provide another update this afternoon circa 4pm.

Sunday 21st July, 5pm

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the pilots and crew, press, guests and The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of London, who travelled to site this morning for The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®️. In particular to those who travelled long distances, including balloon teams from Germany and Switzerland, who had been driving through the night to arrive on time.

Hot air ballooning is a wholly weather dependant activity and when flying over central London as part of a mass flight, with the additional elements of a built up area and busy airspace, there are a multitude of factors involved that must be considered.

We did not take the decision to stand down lightly. All balloon teams remained on a weather hold for as long as possible, waiting for the conditions to improve as forecast, until it sadly become too late to proceed. While we also share in this disappointment, the safety of all of the balloon teams and passengers, will continue to be our main priority.

Thank you very much to all of the public who followed and supported the event on social media and to those who woke up and ventured out early to see the balloons.

We have received a huge spike in public interest for the event this year and have been overwhelmed with messages and enquiries. The main event website, www.BalloonRegatta.com, saw such high levels of traffic that this effected its response/loading time and we are fully aware of the issues that some were experiencing. We apologise for any inconvenience and are already taking steps to improve this as quickly as possible.

Following the frustration of last years forced cancellation, we were determined not to miss a flying opportunity. The forecast for the rain and cloud base improvements were spot on, but sadly the upper wind direction proved to be around 40 degrees away from the forecast winds. The significance of this was a wind that would have taken the balloons straight down the Thames and out to sea.

You cannot steer a hot air balloon, you can only fly with the wind. Therefore, if the wind direction is heading out to sea with no option for a safe landing, it’s quite a simple decision that it’s unsafe to fly.

We persevered as long as was possible on a weather hold, waiting for this to change as per the forecast, but sadly it didn’t materialise. Standing down on site is a brave and difficult decision, but it was the right and safe decision and we thank all those who’ve sent messages of support despite the disappointment.

We understand that some were left feeling frustrated by the time in between official updates. Our team were on site from 2am this morning and were continuously monitoring the conditions. From 5am, while on a weather hold, there is little more we can do than wait for the weather to evolve, either as forecast or as in the case with this morning, different to what was forecast. Therefore when conditions on site did change and we were aware of an update, this was communicated to pilots on site and posted on our social media.

We are reviewing this process internally to look at how we maybe able to add any additional communications in between key updates, to help keep everyone informed.

We appreciate the huge amount of patience, support and understanding that has been shown on social media and we cannot wait to see the balloons taking off in London.

We are now rolling to our next standby date of Sunday 28th July, with the next expected weather update to be posted in the afternoon on Friday 26th July.

Saturday 21st July, 6:30am

Unfortunately the forecast change in wind direction has not materialised, and we have made the difficult decision to stand down the scheduled flight this morning for the safety of all teams on board.
We appreciate the support from everyone involved, especially the public who have interacted with us and come out for the flight.
We now roll to our next standby date of next Sunday, July 28th

Saturday 21st July, 5:30am

Our teams have just conducted a further briefing following an update from our weather team.
As forecast, the rain has stopped, however, the current wind direction is still placing the direction of travel down the Thames, making the flight currently unsuitable.
The forecast is for the upper wind direction to continue to turn to the right throughout the next hour providing a suitable flight path. We will continue to monitor and If the direction does turn as forecast, we are hopeful the flight can take place.

Saturday 21st July, 4:30am

Our teams are on site where there is currently light rain which was expected, and forecast to clear from 5am. Our weather team are closely monitoring the weather radar and we are still hopeful that the flight may be able to take place once the rain clears.

Saturday 20th July, 8:30pm

We remain on Green Status and continuing as planned.
Although our launch time could still be around 5:15am, it is anticipated this may now be more around 6am and we will provide further updates tomorrow morning, from circa 4:30am onwards.
The best viewing points will depend on the actual wind direction at 1000ft in the morning.
At this stage the Bromley area is looking likely for viewing points but we will update around an hour before launch on social media with the projected best locations and timings.
The projected direction of the balloons currently take us towards Bromley and Orpington.
Please can we politely remind everyone that the launch site is not open to the public. We will make announcements tomorrow morning as soon as we are able and provide as much information as we can.
We sincerely appreciate all of the amazing support and interest in this event and we ask for you patience and understanding as we work to provide the most up-to-date information possible, as quickly as the weather will allow us!

Saturday 20th July, 2pm

We remain on Green Status and are proceeding as planned. However, we are closely monitoring the times of the weather fronts coming in overnight, which could give us low cloud or light drizzle and may prevent us being able to launch.

At this time the chances of flying do look hopeful and therefore balloon teams are proceeding to site.

We will provide a further update this evening, circa 10pm. This update will include further details about direction, timings and where may be the best place to see the balloons.

We would like to remind everyone that the launch site is closed to the public.

Saturday 20th July, 10:30am

We are delighted to confirm that we are officially moving to Green Status for The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®️ flight tomorrow morning.

The rain that is moving through is forecast to clear the area prior to our launch time and should leave us clear skies. The upper winds are forecast to take just south of the river but we will have a better understanding of direction in this afternoons update.

There is still a risk that wind gust speeds may be high but the flight committee certainly feel that there is a good chance of a flying slot and we are therefore proceeding as planned.

We will provide a further update circa 3pm this afternoon.

Friday 19th July, 12pm

We are officially moving to AMBER ALERT for Sunday 21st July.

While the forecasts remain inconclusive, it does appear to be improving, increasing our chances of a successful flight.

We will provide a final decision tomorrow circa midday.

Thursday 4th July, 10pm

We have taken the decision to officially stand down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® flight for Sunday 7th July.

The upper wind speeds are forecast to be quick and increasing quickly, causing gusty and unstable conditions, especially at the time of landing.

We have a duty of care to all fifty balloon teams, VIPs, press and guests participating in this event and taking into account that we have balloons of various shapes and sizes and different levels of pilot experience, we have taken the responsible decision to stand down.

We now roll to our next standby date of Sunday 21st July.

Thursday 4th July, 2pm

We are currently monitoring a potential weather slot for Sunday 7th July and are therefore on alert.

It does look like the weather this weekend will prove to be too breezy, however there is a small chance of a lull in the windspeeds that will allow us to proceed.

We will be providing another update late tonight.

Welcome to The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2024.

We are currently on standby for Sunday 7th, Sunday 21st and Sunday 28th and we will proceed on the first date where the weather is suitable.

We will be posting updates on this page and our social media on each preceding Friday.

Please note that the launch site is not open to the public. If you wish to see the balloons, we will be providing an expected wind direction when we call the flight on, for you to see the balloons in the air. The expected launch time will be circa 05:00am.

2023 Regatta

19th October 2023

We have taken the decision to officially stand down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® flight for Sunday 22nd October.

The weather conditions for Sunday do not look favourable, however there is also a high volume of rainfall expected within the next 48 hours, making ground conditions an issue.

This is the last standby date for the 2023 event and we now roll to 2024. We will announce the 2024 event dates in due course and we thank you for your continued patience and support of the event.

28th September 2023

We have taken the decision to stand down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® for the standby date of Sunday 1st October due to forecasted high winds.

We now roll to the next and final standby date of Sunday 22nd October.

July 2023

We are delighted to confirm that two further standby dates have been confirmed for The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2023:

Sunday 1st October
Sunday 22nd October

The flight will proceed on the first date that the weather is suitable. Please keep checking this page and our social media for further updates and weather information, closer to the time.

30th June 2023

We have taken the decision to stand down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® flight for Sunday 2nd July 2023.

Both wind speeds and direction are beyond safe limits. The wind direction is heading straight down the river, which would leave very few landing sites before we reached Holland.

While this is currently the last standby date for the The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®, we are now actively investigating availability and options for another date later in the year to reschedule. We will of course keep you updated in regards to the outcome.

29th June 2023

We are monitoring the wind speed and direction for The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® flight for Sunday 2nd July 2023.

Currently the conditions are not ideal, but it is not out of the question that the flight could proceed, if the forecast were to change.

We therefore remain on standby and will provide a further weather update tomorrow afternoon.

18th May 2023

We are standing down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® flight for Sunday 21st May 2023.

While the forecasted wind direction is not ideal there is also strong winds forecast throughout our flying window.

We now roll to the next stand-by date of 2nd July 2023.

11th May 2023

We are standing down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® flight for Sunday 14th May 2023.

While the forecasted wind direction is not ideal, this is also due to the current ground conditions in the South East and the predicted rainfall over the next two days.

We now roll to the next stand-by date of 21st May 2023.

2022 Regatta

17th June 2022

We have taken the decision to officially stand down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®️ for Sunday 19th June, as current weather forecasts show rain and instability throughout our flying window.

While this was the last of our planned four standby dates, we are now working with all parties to confirm if there is availability in the coming weeks. We will provide a further update as soon as possible.

11th June 2022
We are officially standing down the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® for Sunday 12th June 2022.

The wind direction tomorrow morning is following the river Thames and therefore not suitable for a mass ascent of balloons. There are limited landing opportunities along the route which although would be fine for one or two balloons, but not for the 50 taking off.

The event now rolls to the next standby date which is 19th June 2022, updates will be provided next on Thursday 16th June 2022.

10th June 2022

Based on current forecasts, we are on official standby for The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® on Sunday 12th June.

We will continue to monitor the weather closely and provide a further update on Saturday 11th June.

Please note that there is no public access/tickets for this event.

 

9th June 2022

Based on current forecasts, we are placing The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® on official standby for Sunday 12th June.

We will continue to monitor the weather closely and provide a further update on Friday 10th June.

 

2nd June 2022

We are officially standing down the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® for Sunday 05th June 2022 due to unstable and wet weather conditions.

The event rolls to the next standby date which is 12th June 2022, updates will be provided next by 5pm on Thursday 09th June 2022.


21st May 2022

We are officially standing down the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® for Sunday 22nd May 2022 due to reduced wind speeds.

The event rolls to the next standby date which is 5th June 2022, updates will be provided next by 5pm on Thursday 2nd June 2022.

 

20th May 2022

We are continuing to monitor the weather conditions for this Sunday, 22nd May 2022.

The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta remains on Standby, with a further review and another update to be published after 1pm tomorrow (Saturday 21st May 2022)

 

19th May 2022

We have been monitoring the weather forecast and the conditions look favourable to place The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2022 on official standby for Sunday May 22nd 2022. The next update will be released on Friday 20th May 2022.

 

The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2022

We are delighted to confirm that the official standby dates for The 2022 Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® are 22nd May 2022, 5th June 2022, 12th June 2022, and 19th June 2022.

2021 Regatta

24th July 2021

Whilst we remained hopefully the latest forecast is now predicting storms over London during the flight window.

We are officially standing down the 25th July 2021 slot of The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®

Further updates will be provided in due course in regards to arranging alternative dates.

 

23rd July 2021

At the moment there is still fluctuation in the forecast and whilst some forecasts indicate unstable weather there are others which display flyable conditions.

We will review again tomorrow morning and issue an update at midday as to whether this Sunday will go ahead or stand down.


22nd July 2021

We have been reviewing the weather conditions for this Sunday 25th Julyand intend to roll our decision making time to 17:00 on Friday 23rd July.

We appreciate your patience in the matter as the forecast is currently showing ever changing conditions. In order to avoid a prematurely  standing this slot down we will instead review the forecast again tomorrow afternoonand provide a further update.

The next update will be sent out at approximately 17:00 on Friday 23rd July 2021.

 

17th July 2021

We are officially standing down The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®  for the 18th July 2021.

Over night the forecast has changed to where the gradient wind speeds on the predicted direction have become marginal for clearing the area before landing options become available.

Additionally the now predicted temperatures are showing it will become very hot quite early on and thermal activity is now predicted within the flight window.

On the grounds of safety we have taken the decision to stand down this slot.

The next update will be sent out at approximately 16:00 on Thursday 22nd July 2021.

 

16th July 2021

The current forecasted conditions for this Sunday still look favourable and so The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® remains on official standby for this Sunday, the 18th July 2021.

Further updates will follow after 11am on Saturday 17th July 2021.

 

15th July 2021

The current forecasted conditions for this weekend look favourable and so The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® is now on official Standby for the 18th July 2021.

The next update will be sent out at 16:00 on Friday 16th July 2021.

 

12th June 2021

The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® has been officially stood down for 13th June 2021.

 The forecasted conditions were acceptable at launch time, but as the morning goes on the wind speeds will slow down which will prevent us from clearing the city within two hours.

Next standby date is 18th July 2021, updates will be released at around 4pm on the 15th July 2021.

 

11th June 2021

We are continuing to monitor the weather conditions for this Sunday 13th June 2021.

The forecast has been subject to some fluctuation in wind speeds and direction in the last 24 hours but is still within the realms of permitting The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta to proceed.

The surface wind speeds are currently slow enough for inflation and landing with the upper winds forecasting speeds that would allow us to clear the city. As Battersea Park is in the central area of London, taking off and flying from here will produce spectacular views regardless of direction. We may opt this year to call the flight on and experience the skies of London we have not flown over before.

In light of the forecast we will provide a further update at midday on Saturday 12th June 2021 as to whether this will be stood down or given the Green light.

 

10th June 2021

We have been monitoring the weather forecast and the conditions look favourable to place The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2021 on official standby for Sunday June 13th 2021. The next update will be released at 4pm on Friday 11th June 2021

 

04th June 2021

We have been continuing to monitor the weather forecast and have taken the early decision to stand down the 6th June 2021.

Whilst the forecasted conditions would make flying possible, the predicted wind speeds are too low to clear the city in a timely manner.

The next update will be released at 4pm on Thursday 10th June 2021.

 

03rd June 2021

We have been monitoring the weather forecast and the conditions look favourable to place The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2021 on official standby for Sunday June 6th 2021. The next update will be released at 4pm on Friday 4th June 2021

Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2021

We are delighted to confirm that the official standby dates for The 2021 Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® are Sunday June 6th & 13th and July 18th & 25th.

For this year’s flight, we will be revisiting Battersea Park as our launch site. The prevailing wind from Battersea Park should allow for another stunning and unforgettable flight over Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, London Eye and Tower of London.

Due to the weather dependent nature of hot air ballooning, this event is on standby for a Sunday morning and will proceed on the first available date when the weather is suitable.

Please check this page and follow @HotAirEvents and @XBallooning for updates. A decision will be announced on each Friday before the standby date circa 4pm.

2020 Regatta

Sadly as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic The 2020 Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta® has been posted until 2021.

We had worked with our friends at Wandsworth Council who had been fabulous in their flexibility enabling us to have hope that the event may go ahead. We were confident that we could satisfy the council requirements and needs for social distancing whilst also safeguarding all teams and our own volunteer welfare with automated briefings and new launch site layout procedures.

The Balloon Regatta has become an integral part of the London community calendar, raising over £250,000 for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal in just four years. The event also raises the profile of the Appeal, together with the City of London and those connected to it. It is therefore imperative that any event maintains this high standard of professionalism that we, as an award winning event organiser,  have become recognised for. Our pilots, crew, volunteers and staff all rely on our good judgement to provide a safe environment for events to take place.

Among the factors for a safe event, we must take into account the length of time that many pilots will have been grounded. If the event had proceeded in July, it may very well be the first time some pilots and their equipment have flown in nine months. It is specifically this safety concern that led us to a very difficult decision which is the most appropriate, professional and responsible action as an organiser, to stand the event down until 2021.

We were confident that all of the participating pilots have sufficient experience to make a safe flight across London, but it simply is not prudent to dispatch a mass launch of balloons over a large city at this time. This is of course a decision which is both difficult and disheartening  to make, but we do know that all pilots and their teams will understand.

We would like to thank all of our pilots and crews, our volunteers, our friends at the Appeal, The Mansion House, The City of London Corporation, Wandsworth Council and of course all of our supporting Corporate Partners for their continued support and we look forward to a fabulous Balloon Regatta in 2021.

2019 Regatta

SUNDAY 9TH JUNE

46 HOT AIR BALLOONS FILL LONDON’S SKYLINE AS PART OF THE 2019 RICOH LORD MAYOR’S HOT AIR BALLOON REGATTA®

 This morning, Londoners woke up to the sight of hot air balloons filling the capital’s skyline as 46 took flight as part of the 2019 annual RICOH Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®.

In an awe-inspiring display, the balloons took off en masse from Battersea Park at 5:15am this morning, the first-ever launch of its kind from this location. With the CEO of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal on board, the balloons flew over many of the city’s most famous landmarks, including the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Cutty Sark, Greenwich, Canary Wharf and Thames Flood Barrier.

The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® is quickly becoming a standout feature in London’s calendar and the annual event has raised an overall total of £250,634 to date. The funds raised for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal will support three inspirational charities: Samaritans, OnSide Youth Zones and Place2Be.

Founded and organised by the world’s leading aerial marketing specialists, Exclusive Ballooning, the Balloon Regatta® has been running since 2015 and has received continued support from headline sponsor RICOH along with the City of London Corporation.

Alderman Peter Estlin, Lord Mayor of London, comments: “The Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta® is quickly establishing itself as one of the cultural highlights associated with the City of London, creating breath-taking views across the capital’s iconic skyline. It brings together charity, community and commerce, everything that the City – and the Lord Mayor – is all about.

“Every year, the event raises awareness and money for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal charities. Over the next two years, the Appeal is focusing on three organisations: Place2Be, OnSide Youth Zones and Samaritans. All this work – supported by the Regatta, RICOH and other corporate partners – will work towards one aim: to build an inclusive, healthy skilled and fair City – A Better City for All.”

Andrew Holly, Operations Director and Balloon Regatta® Flight Director at Exclusive Ballooning, said: “We set up the Balloon Regatta® in support of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal as it was the perfect blend of London ballooning and charitable causes. Since our inception, we have used all resources available to us in order to help our clients raise money for charity. We are proud that so far, we have helped our clients raise over £8,000,000 for charity using hot air balloons.”

Chas Moloney, Marketing Director, RICOH UK, comments: “The Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta® is a testament to our continued commitment to empowering positive and sustainable change for people. Working with The Lord Mayor’s Appeal enables us to make a real difference within the communities of London, helping support charities and local businesses that tend to all facets of life – from mental wellbeing, to healthcare and technological growth and education. We take pride in helping drive these initiatives using our expertise and expect this year’s Regatta to highlight the phenomenal work and success achieved by all involved”.

 

 

The 2019 RICOH Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®

We are delighted to confirm that the official standby dates for The 2019 RICOH Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® are Sunday June 2nd, 9th, 16th and 30th.

For this year’s flight, our primary launch site will be Battersea Park and we will be flying from here if proceeding on June 2nd, 9th or 30th. If launching on June 16th, we will be flying from a different site and this location will be confirmed at the time. The prevailing wind from Battersea Park should allow for another stunning and unforgettable flight over Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, London Eye and Tower of London.

Due to the weather dependent nature of hot air ballooning, this event is on standby for a Sunday morning and will proceed on the first available date when the weather is suitable.

Please check this page and follow @HotAirEvents and @XBallooning for updates. A decision will be announced on each Friday before the standby date circa 4pm.

2018 Regatta

Thursday June 28th 2018

Due to unsuitable weather conditions and wind direction, we have taken the decision to stand down The RICOH Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® 2018. We have already secured Battersea Park as the dedicated launch site for the 2019 event and can confirm the new standby dates of June 2nd, 9th, 16th and 30th.

2017 Regatta

10th September 2017

The RICOH Lord Mayors Balloon Regatta® took off from London City Airport this morning with 26 balloons launching from the main runway!

Teams arrived from midnight and had to go through rigourous security checks in order to gain access to the airport and then waited patiently on the runway for the sunrise to appear.

At 7am exactly the offical Lord Mayor’s Appeal Hot Air Balloon took off along with our headline sponsor headline sponsor RICOH, the new London City Airport balloon and our other corporate partner balloons; Keltbray, Fortnum & Mason, Longleat, Aberdeen Asset Management, Renishaw, Riney and Mamont and flew north east towards Dagenham.

London City Airport are celebrating their 30th anniversay this year and welcomed the Balloon Regatta® as part of their celebrations.

This is the third Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta® which is now the official ballooning event of London and has the full support of Mansion House and the City of London.

#BalloonRegatta was once again trending on twitter throughout the morning and within minutes of take off, pictures, videos and stories were appearing on social media.

9th September 2017

We are delighted to announce that we are proceeding with The RICOH Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta flight tomorrow morning.

We have an anticipated launch time of 07:00 with an expected track heading towards Dagenham, Hornchurch, Upminster, Brentwood, and Billericoy.

Due to the early start time and lack of public transport, London City Airport will stream the regatta live on its Facebook page but there will be no official spectator facilities at the airport.

8th September 2017

We are currently on FULL STANDBY for Sunday 10th September. The weather conditions are currently looking favourable, however we are monitoring the wind direction. A further update will be published tomorrow at approx 1pm.

5th July 2017

We can confirm that the new official standby dates for the Balloon Regatta® will be September 10th, 24th and October 1st.

June 2017

We are now looking at potential dates for September 2017. Please keep checking this website for further updates.

Friday June 23rd 2017

The scheduled flight for Sunday June 25th has now been officially stood down. We are now considering alternative dates and will update accordingly.

Friday June 16th 2017

The scheduled flight for Sunday June 18th has now been officially stood down. We remain on full standby for the next date of June 25th.

Friday June 9th 2017

The scheduled flight for Sunday June 11th has now been officially stood down. We remain on full standby for the next date of June 18th.

Thursday June 1st 2017

The scheduled flight for Sunday June 4th has now been officially stood down. We remain on full standby for the next date of June 11th.

Thursday April 27 2017

LONDON CITY AIRPORT TO HOST THE RICOH LORD MAYOR’S HOT AIR BALLOON REGATTA AS PART OF AIRPORT’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS 

London City Airport will accommodate the first mass cross-London flight to launch from a major airport, when it plays host to the annual Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® in June this year.

The official ballooning event of The City of London, which is being staged at the airport as part of its 30thanniversary year celebrations, will see more than 50 hot air balloons taking to the skies – the highest number recorded departing from a UK international airport. During the 15-minute launch period, London City Airport is likely to be one of the busiest international airports in the world, based on the number of ‘movements’.

An international array of hot air balloon pilots from the UK, France, Spain, Belgium and the USA are set to attend. London City Airport has also commissioned its own hot air balloon to join the extravaganza, affording Londoners spectacular views of the colourful display.

Declan Collier, CEO of London City Airport, said: “We are looking forward to hosting this extravaganza on our runway, providing a unique setting against the backdrop of London’s Royal Docks, the River Thames and the iconic London skyline nearby. The regatta will provide our local communities with a 30th anniversary spectacle they’ll never forget.”

The regatta recreates the first ever balloon flight which took place in Britain in 1784, by pioneering Italian aeronaut, Vincenzo Lunardi.

An aerial extension of the historic Lord Mayor’s Show, the regatta is designed to raise awareness of and funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. The Appeal supports hospital and community outreach through music, working with St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Symphony Orchestra.

The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress plan to fly in the official Lord Mayor’s Appeal hot air balloon.

The Rt. Hon. Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Dr Andrew Parmley added:

“The Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta is the very highest of highlights – celebrating the tremendous contribution of business to their communities, 1000 feet above London!

“The Regatta raises funds and awareness for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, through the work of the London Symphony Orchestra Discovery programme, St Paul’s community projects in East London, and Music in Hospitals.

“We owe a particular debt of gratitude to Ricoh for their generous three-year support and to London City Airport for providing the perfect launch site; an uplifting celebration of their 30th anniversary. Thanks to them and all the other organisations taking part, thousands of young people will be supported, and Londoners will enjoy a stunning sight this June.”

Due to the weather-dependent nature of hot air ballooning, this event is on standby for every Sunday morning in June and will proceed on the first available of these dates when the weather is suitable.

The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta is brought to life by Exclusive Ballooning, which has helped to raise more than £7 million for charity using hot air balloons at the tool for fundraising.

London City Airport was officially opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 5 November 1987, and throughout 2017 is celebrating its 30th anniversary year.

2016 Regatta

Sunday June 19th 2016

A fabulous thank you to everybody who helped make this year’s RICOH Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta an amazing Success.

47 hot air balloons including the Longelat Lion, The William Hill Scottish Cup and of course the RICOH Imagine.Change. special shape balloons all flew between Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, heading directly over the O2 and London City Airport before flying out of the city into the Essex countryside.

Flying at the from of the pack, Exclusive Ballooning chief pilot Andrew Holly had special VIP guests The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of London Alderman The Lord Mountevans and The Lady Mayoress on board.

The press coverage has been huge with Time Out London streaming the event together with ITV London, BBC News, London Standard, Telegraph, Daily Mail… the list is long.

We are delighted to announce that this flight has raised £46,750 bringing the total raised so far by the Regatta to over £125,000.

For press releases and pictures please contact us on 01453 511280 or via contact on this website.

Pilot applications for 2017 will open on December 27th 2016 at 12pm.

Saturday June 18th 2016 19:59

We are delighted to announce that the 2016 RICOH Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta is CONFIRMED for Sunday June 19th. PILOTS – Briefing may be brought forward, you will be informed at the gate.

Spectators – The launch site is Burgess Park, Albany Road, SE5 7QH. There is no parking on site, there is no smoking on site. Please do include #BalloonRegatta with all of your pictures and tweets.

Intended launch time is around 4:45-5am with expected flight track to the east side of Tower Bridge north of Canary Wharf heading out towards Romford.

Saturday June 18th 2016 14:10

PILOTS – check your email now – you should have received confirmation PDF showing all launch site information and other Important information.

Friday June 3rd 2016

Pilots – you MUST have read through your briefing notes by now. If you have not received them, please check your email spam folders – these were sent May 31st approx 6pm.

Wednesday June 1st 2016

We are thrilled to announce a three year deal with RICOH who will be the main sponsor of the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta from this year. We thank RICOH for their support and faith in the event.

Tuesday 1st December 2015

The 2016 event dates were confirmed on the Regatta website as June 5th, 12th, 19th or 26th and it was announced that applications will open on January 13th 2016.

Wednesday 9th September 2015

The team from Exclusive Ballooning were honoured to have been invited to The Mansion House, London for a formal reception hosted by the Rt. Hon. Lord Mayor of London Alan Yarrow.

The reception was to celebrate the success of the Balloon Regatta in June of this year and the awareness and funds it has raised already for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal and the City of London.

The Lord Mayor addressed the guests and confirmed that the event has his full support and that of The Mansion House and Appeal office. We are therefore delighted that the flight will be moving forward as an annual event.

 

2015 Regatta

The 2015 Balloon Regatta

The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta flew across the skies of London on Sunday 7th June 2015 in a stunning and historic flight.

Launching at just after 5am, forty balloons took off from Shoreditch Park and climbed up and out over the river Thames flying between Tower Bridge, the Shard and Canary Wharf.

The iconic London skyline was filled with this unique sight for over an hour, with many people on the ground posting and tweeting pictures of the unexpected sight of the Regatta balloons. Throughout the morning  #HotAirBalloons and #BalloonRegatta were trending on twitter.

The Regatta is in support of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, working to raise awareness and funds for the Charity and to promote the City of London and those associated with it.  The Lord Mayor’s hot air balloon was the first balloon to take off, followed closely by well known city corporations, who have also chosen to support the charity. These include Aberdeen Asset Management, Fortnum & Mason, Stirling Ackroyd, Renishaw, Ricoh, British Airways, British Telecom and Universal Pictures.

This is the first time a mass ascent has flown in London in over twenty years and since then the skyline and airspace has changed dramatically.

This event was wholly arranged and devised by Exclusive Ballooning’s Chief Pilot Andrew Holly, Operations Director Louise Moore and Philip Saunders of the City of London Corporation. An idea that initially started in 2013, Exclusive Ballooning set out to raise £50,000 from the event and prior to the launch, Andrew Holly had the pleasure of announcing that the current total raised by the Regatta was an impressive £78,884 and counting! A cheque will be presented to current Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow at Mansion House following the event.

Sunday 7th June 2015

AIRBORNE!!! A fantastic successful and safe flight across London this morning. Full story and pictures will follow but currently available via our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/exclusiveballooning

Saturday 6th June 2015 PM

THE FLIGHT IS ON. The launch site is Shoreditch Park in central London and the launch time is expected to be around 5am.

Saturday 6th June 2015

The weather is looking very promising for a north-south crossing of London and we are delighted to announce that the flight is now officially called ON for tomorrow, June 7th. We will publish more information later today. A further call will be made this evening.

Friday 29th May 2015

Sadly due to a forecast of poor weather, this Sunday’s flight has been stood down. We will now focus on the next flying slot which is June 7th.