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Balloons over Prado Siongco

How a field in Lubao became the home of one of the country's biggest hot air balloon and music festivals.

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Discover Pampanga Editors · October 2026

Hot air balloons inflating at dawn at the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (illustrative photo)

Illustrative photo. Photo: Lawrence Ruiz on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · via Wikimedia Commons

On April 10, 2014, hot air balloons rose over Prado Siongco in Lubao for the first Philippine International Balloon Festival held there. The open fields of Pradera Verde proved ideal, and the town kept the balloons.

Growing every year

In 2015 and 2016 it ran as the Lubao International Balloon Festival, with more than forty balloons in 2015, including special shapes. In April 2017 it became the Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival, mixing flights with concerts by local and international acts.

Today

The 2026 edition, held on March 7 and 8, paired balloon exhibitions with a lineup that read like a roll call of Filipino music, from Parokya ni Edgar and IV of Spades to Arthur Nery and Dionela. SunStar called it one of Pampanga's biggest annual events.

Watch our festival listing for the 2027 dates, and read our tips for first-timers.

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