Araku Balloon festival extended by a day

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Pilots to make an attempt today depending on weather conditions

Inclement weather continued to play spoilsport on the third day of the Araku Balloon Festival on Thursday, even as scores of people headed towards the picturesque valley to witness the colourful balloons soar in the skies.

In view of the overwhelming response the festival has garnered, Andhra Pradesh and the organising companies of E-Factors Adventure (P) Ltd. and SkyWaltz have extended the festival by one more day. “We will be flying on Friday morning after reviewing the weather conditions. The pilots have been intimated and they are all excited. We want to give the visitors another chance to see the magnificent sight of the hot air balloons floating in the skies of Araku. We are keeping our fingers crossed for clear weather on Friday morning,” Samit Garg, CEO of E-Factors, told The Hindu.

The three-day festival has attracted hundreds of people from various parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Several photography enthusiasts and professional photographers’ association arranged for camps and workshops in Araku Valley during the festival.

“We came here for a three-day workshop around the balloon festival. But by the time we arrived here on the first day, we missed the take-off of balloons. We were lucky to witness the night glow on the same evening. It was such a magnificent sight and a great opportunity for photographers,” said K. Bhaskar Rao, a photographer.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram were buzzing with the hashtag #arakuballoonfest as a team of travel writers from across the country and large number of visitors who attended the festival shared the first day’s pictures of the balloon flight and night glow event.

With the organisers extending the festival by one more day, visitors who have flocked the valley are hoping to catch the glimpse of the spectacular sight one last time before the festival returns to the valley next year.

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