Poised for lift-off! Canterbury festival sells out amidst huge public interest

Preparations have been encouraging, according to organisers. Photo / George Heard

They’ll be showing and glowing in rural Canterbury this Saturday, as close to 11,000 will descend to a local domain to experience a growingly popular festival.

It’s the fourth time that Hororata, 60km inland west of Christchurch, will host its annual Glow Festival to a sold-out crowd.

Organisers promise entertainment, a variety of food trucks, science experiments and an exciting light show at the end for those that plan to stick through the night.

Preparations have been encouraging, according to Cindy Driscoll - who’s heading up this year’s event.

“There’s been a big effort to turn the domain into a festival,” said Driscoll, who also oversees the Hororata Community Trust.

Organisers promise entertainment, a variety of food trucks, science experiments and an exciting light show. Photo / George Heard

“We’ve got 130 volunteers and 15 community groups doing fundraising, so everybody’s been pitching in.”

The staple of the event is its hot air balloon displays, one in particular being “Buster the Bull” which is a new balloon featuring at the show.

Buster has been imported into the country from the United Kingdom, and Driscoll anticipates he’ll be the centre of attention.

As the day draws to an end and nightfall approaches, guests will be treated to a night glow - which sees the balloons lined up on the ground and glow in unison to a music track.

Buster has been imported into the country from the United Kingdom. Photo / George Heard

The performance will be supported by an additional light show this year, for the first time since the festival began.

“It’s pretty special, they light up like giant lanterns and stand up to 40 metres tall in the air,” said Driscoll.

“[The night glow] will be weather dependent, you need very little wind so there’s always that risk they can’t go ahead.”

However, despite substantial rainfall hitting Christchurch over the past week, Hororata seems to have escaped any heavy deluge and expects fine conditions tomorrow.

The staple of the event is its hot air balloon displays. Photo / George Heard

The festival is billed as a family-friendly event, the limited number of tickets keeps the experience within a controlled environment.

Roughly 60 per cent of those attending the festival are usually based in Christchurch, according to Driscoll, the rest are typically locals from the mid-Canterbury region.

“If you come with a family, it’s just something you can all get involved in,” the organiser said.