On 11 March Canberra Balloon Spectacular @ Enlighten Festival lifts off. Marvel at hot air balloons floating across the city over nine days from 11 – 19 March, as the Canberra skyline turns into a sea of colour and movement.
Watch a special Pride Flight take off on the opening morning (11 March). More information below.
Balloons will inflate from 6.15 am and launch around 6.45am each morning from Patrick White Lawns, weather permitting. For those who have braved the dawn start there’s a hot breakfast to enjoy as the balloons lift off and drift across the dawn sky. Be sure to check out the balloons throughout the morning with great views around the lake and from the Arboretum.
Daily announcements about whether the balloons will launch and fly are made at 6.15am and published on enlightencanberra.com and via the Enlighten Festival and Events ACT social channels (Facebook and Instagram).
As a general rule if winds are above 10km/hour or are coming from the west, the balloons are unlikely to launch from Patrick White Lawns. This is because the balloons cannot fly into the airport’s airspace. There are also other variables that can affect launching on the day, including rain. However if the balloons cannot launch and the conditions allow, some of the balloons will inflate and tether at Patrick White Lawns, which is still a spectacular sight and worth the early start!
Event Info
When: 11-19 March. From 6.15am
Where: Patrick White Lawns, National Triangle
Cost: Free for spectators.
Breakfast options
- Belconnen Lions Club – hot breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast), cereal, fruit, yoghurt, tea and coffee
- Grain & Grill Café – tea, coffee, milkshakes, muffins and pastries
- Rise & Grind Co – tea, coffee, hot chocolate, muffins and banana bread
- Sylvie & Bruno – poffertjes, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, chai, crepes and cold drinks
- Le Petit Breton – poffertjes, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, chai, crepes and cold drinks
- BZBurger – pastries, ham, cheese, tomato croissants, breaky wraps, tea and coffee
See who’s playing
Pride Weekend at the Canberra Balloon Spectacular
To celebrate Pride Weekend, eight different pride flags will be on display during a special Pride Flight on the opening morning of the Canberra Balloon Spectacular @ Enlighten Festival (11 March). Flags have always been an integral part of the LGBTQIA+ movement – they create visible representation and celebrate progress.
This event is weather dependent.
See these flags on display
Progress Pride Flag
Created in 2018 by nonbinary artist Daniel Quasar, the Progress Pride flag is a symbol of diversity, inclusion and progression. The design builds on the iconic Pride flag, with the introduction of arrows to represent inclusion and progression – black and brown stripes to represent marginalised LGBTQIA+ people of colour and the triad of blue, pink and white from the Transgender Pride flag. The Progress Pride Flag shows support for the LGBTQIA+ community and pride for multiple identities.
Bisexual Pride Flag
Designed by Michael Page in 1998, the Bisexual flag is a symbol of the bisexual community and its allies. The colours represent the sexual orientation of people who identify as bisexual and their attraction to both genders. The flag has three stripes, from top to bottom: Hot Pink, Violet, and Blue.
Transgender Pride Flag
Conceived by American transgender woman Monica Helms in 1999, the Transgender Pride flag is symmetrical so no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct. The flag has five stripes: Light Blue, Light Pink, White, Light Pink, and Light Blue. The light blue and light pink colours symbolise the traditional colours chosen for boys and girls, while the white band represents people who identify as transitioning, intersex or gender neutral.
Nonbinary Pride Flag
Kye Rowan created the nonbinary flag in 2014 to represent people who do not identify as male or female. The flag consists of four stripes: yellow, white, purple and black. The yellow stands for those whose genders do not exist within the binary. White symbolises people with many or all genders. Purple symbolises those whose gender identify falls somewhere between male/female or is a mix of them. Black symbolises people who feel they are without a gender.
Intersex Pride Flag
The Intersex Pride flag was created in Australia in 2013 by Morgan Carpenter. The flag design includes non-gendered yellow and purple colours, combined with a perfect closed circle to symbolise wholeness and completeness. The intersex pride flag is used to show that there is more than just male or female when it comes to gender identity. It also shows that even within these two categories, there is a spectrum of identities.
Pansexual Pride Flag
The Pansexual Pride flag was created in 2010 by Jasper V. and represents pansexuality’s interest in all genders. The flag has three horizontal stripes: pink, yellow and blue. Pink and blue represent attraction to females and males respectively, while the yellow signifies attraction to those who identify as genderqueer, non-binary, agender, and androgynous.
Asexual Pride Flag
The Asexual Pride Flag was designed in 2010 by Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) members to represent the asexual (or non-sexual) community and their allies. The flag consists of four horizontal stripes: black, grey, white and purple from top to bottom. Black represents asexuality and grey signifies the grey area between sexuality and asexuality. The white stripe denotes non-asexual partners, and the purple stands for community.
Lesbian Pride Flag
Created by Sean Campbell in 1999, the Lesbian Flag features red, purple and pink colours to symbolise women and is an evolution of the previous flag that included a lipstick symbol. The flag has seven stripes in an orange to pink gradient from top to bottom, with a white stripe in the middle.
Patrick White Lawns
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