Council backs Balloons over Waikato
Hot air balloons will take off from all parts of Hamilton in next year's Balloons over Waikato festival.
Past events have seen an opening day mass ascension from the Hamilton lakeside Innes Common.
Plans for next year will see a range of the 35 hot air craft expected to take to the air from Claudelands, Innes Common, Eliot Park, Ashurst Park, Tauhara Park and Jansen Park.
Another change will bring the Balloons Parade back to the central city.
The variations come after Hamilton City Council has joined WEL Energy Trust, Waikato University and ASB Bank as strategic partners of the event through a grant from the council's events sponsorship fund.
Balloons over Waikato has been held for the past 13 years and remains one of the last large scale free events in the country. For Classic Events general manager Michele Connell, keeping the event free is a non-negotiable.
The 2013 event will run from Wednesday, April 3 through to Sunday, April 7, with The ASB Nightglow at Waikato University held on Saturday, April 6.
It is expected that the five-day event will attract more than 130,000 spectators.
