All being well, a Sunday morning in late May or early July may see up to 50 hot air balloons drifting over central London.

(c) Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta

This is the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta, a now annual event that raises money for the Lord Mayor’s charity, and gives early risers on a Sunday morning a lovely sight of all the balloons silently drifting over sleepy London.

The lift-off is weather dependent and the takeoff point is to be confirmed, and will be around sunrise on the day it takes place.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 regatta was cancelled, and due to weather conditions, the 2021 and 2022 editions could not proceed. So weather permitting, 2023 could be the first in three years.

The following standby Sundays have been confirmed for The 2023 Lord Mayor’s Balloon Regatta.

  • 14th May 2023 – cancelled due to forecasted wind direction and rain
  • 21st May 2023 – cancelled due to forecasted wind direction
  • 2nd July 2023 — cancelled due to forecasted wind direction

Hopefully, they’ll head eastwards over the city, but that’s down to the wind direction on the day. Obviously, they can’t control the wind, so there’s an outside chance they’ll drift a bit more to the south or north than hoped for.

They’ll be on standby with a confirmation usually issued on the Friday afternoon around 4pm before the Sunday that the weather looks favourable, although even then, last-minute changes can scupper lift-off.

I’ll keep this page updated as well.

NEWSLETTER

Be the first to know what's on in London, and the latest news published on ianVisits.

You can unsubscribe at any time from my weekly emails.

Tagged with:
SUPPORT THIS WEBSITE

This website has been running now for over a decade, and while advertising revenue contributes to funding the website, it doesn't cover the costs. That is why I have set up a facility with DonorBox where you can contribute to the costs of the website and time invested in writing and research for the news articles.

It's very similar to the way The Guardian and many smaller websites are now seeking to generate an income in the face of rising costs and declining advertising.

Whether it's a one-off donation or a regular giver, every additional support goes a long way to covering the running costs of this website, and keeping you regularly topped up doses of Londony news and facts.

If you like what you read on here, then please support the website here.

Thank you

4 comments
  1. MilesT says:
    13 February 2023 at 1:01 pm

    Where did the balloons launched from last time? Do we know if the same place(s) will be used this time?

    Just to understand the potential path (e.g. from Northwest or Southwest of Westminster, or starting further east centrally or to the north/south). I’m sure the organisers wouldn’t want too many people attending the launch site(s) as they could be quite busy!

    • Frederick Roll says:
      13 February 2023 at 1:43 pm

      The last time I recall a release was City Airport on 10th September 2017. Battersea Park has been on standby subsequent years since, but was eventually cancelled.

    • ianVisits says:
      13 February 2023 at 2:13 pm

      Battersea, Burgess and Shoreditch parks (plus London City Airport) have all been used in the past – the location for this year will be announced closer to the date.

  2. Maurice Reed says:
    14 February 2023 at 1:34 pm

    Let’s hope the RAF doesn’t shot them down 😂😂

Home >> News >> London News