A hot-air balloon festival is set to take place on August 13 and 14 at Habesor National Park, also known as Eshkol Park, near the Gaza border in southern Israel. The event, organized by the Shikma-Besor Tourism Association, aims to boost local tourism with five balloon flights scheduled over the two days. The first evening will feature a fair accompanied by nighttime entertainment including fire performers, light displays, and pyrotechnics, while balloon ascents will occur at sunrise the following day.
This festival follows other ballooning traditions worldwide, where balloon launches serve as both an aerial spectacle and a social occasion. Passengers on balloon flights often celebrate milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries, sometimes concluding their trips with champagne—a practice that originated in early French ballooning. Historically, champagne was shared to calm local farmers surprised by unfamiliar objects descending into their fields, or as compensation for potential crop damage.
The conditions at Habesor National Park provide an ideal setting for ballooning. Amir Shemer, chief pilot and owner of Skyrtek Hot Air Balloons participating in the festival, noted the favorable wind patterns typical of the northwestern Negev. He added that during the event, one balloon will ascend to approximately 7,000 feet, while others will fly to around 3,000 feet, enabling visibility of Gaza from the air. Pilots take off sequentially to enhance the show's appeal, with an announcer introducing each balloon.
Balloon flying in Israel is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Transportation Ministry. Shamgar Alexander, chief inspector at the Civil Aviation Authority, explained that there are currently 10 licensed hot-air balloon pilots and four commercial operators nationwide. He identified two prime ballooning regions—the “Homeland Bubble” near Mount Gilboa and the Ruhama area near Sderot, close to the Gaza border—where flights are easier to coordinate with minimal restrictions. Flights require careful planning, including weather forecasts and flight path coordination, to ensure balloons remain within designated areas for safety.
The event’s location near the Gaza border evokes complex associations. Between 2018 and 2021, thousands of incendiary balloons launched from Gaza caused extensive fires in nearby Israeli communities, damaging farmland and nature reserves. While the balloon festival represents peaceful tourism, the proximity highlights ongoing regional tensions. Aerial views from the festival location reveal continuing damage within Gaza, particularly around Khan Yunis, where significant destruction of buildings and infrastructure remains evident following recent conflicts.
Despite these challenges, local organizers are optimistic about the festival’s potential to revive the area’s tourism sector. Doron Ashtan-Nachmani, executive director of the Shikma-Besor Tourism Association and a resident near the park, emphasized the unique experience offered by the open-air event close to the border. He described the atmosphere as family-oriented and peaceful, contrasting with the region’s fraught history.
Tickets for the festival are priced at 179 shekels (approximately $58), with discounts offered through partnerships with customer loyalty programs. All balloon flight seats have been sold out, while tickets for spectators to watch the launches remain available. The previous festival in August 2023 attracted around 7,000 visitors, and organizers hope to increase attendance this year.
While the festival is smaller in scale compared to international events such as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in the United States—which features hundreds of balloons and hundreds of thousands of visitors over several days—the Habesor event offers a distinctive local attraction. It demonstrates how hot-air ballooning can serve both as a tourist draw and as a symbol of leisure amid a region marked by conflict.