Regatta Updates

We have taken the difficult decision to stand down The Lord Mayor's Hot Air Balloon Regatta on Sunday 27th July.

Unfortunately, the forecast over the last 48 hours has deteriorated slightly and the winds for tomorrow morning are less favourable.

A combination of the wind direction and upper wind speeds are the primary reason for the decision to stand down.

There are many factors behind the scenes that go towards these decisions, including balloons being able to safely clear the trees and buildings when taking off in gusty conditions, multiple teams travelling from across Europe, the limited landing options in the direction of travel on Sunday and avoiding the inconvenience of potentially having to call everyone to site and then postponing at the launch site.

Safety always comes first, and we want to ensure the best possible experience for everyone involved.

Stay tuned for the next update - better skies are ahead! Whilst this was the last scheduled date for July, we will coordinate with all relevant parties to investigate if further standby date(s) can be arranged for this year or if we now move to 2026.

Thank you for your patience and support. We know it will be worth the wait!

We remain on AMBER ALERT for the Balloon Regatta flight on Sunday 27th July.

We are continuing to monitor the wind speeds and direction both on the surface and at altitude and while we remain hopeful that we can proceed with the flight, the forecasted conditions are changing.

We will provide a further update on the flight status circa 2pm today, to confirm whether we are moving to Green Status or standing down.

We are monitoring a potential weather slot for Sunday 27th July and are now on AMBER ALERT.

Flying conditions are looking positive for Sunday morning and we are hopeful that we will be able to proceed, however we are continuing to monitor the wind speeds and direction, both on the surface and at altitude.

Please see the FAQ section on the website for any questions you may have www.balloonregatta.com/frequently-asked-questions

We will provide the next flight status update on Saturday 26th July circa 10am.

We have taken the decision to officially stand down The Lord Mayor's Hot Air Balloon Regatta for Sunday 20th July.

There is rain forecast throughout our flying period, along with gusty conditions and fast upper wind speeds.

Combined with the instability throughout the weekend, including a thunderstorm warning on Saturday, we have taken the early decision to stand down.

We now roll to our next standby date of Sunday 27th July.

We are standing down The Lord Mayor's Hot Air Balloon Regatta flight for Sunday 11th May.

Wind speeds are too quick for flying, however this is also due to the wind direction. Forecasts show an easterly wind, which would take all of the hot air balloons directly towards Heathrow airport runway.

We now roll to our next standby date of Sunday 20th July.