The annual London Balloon Festival kicks off in Harris Park in downtown London each year during Civic long weekend. The festival, which was founded in 1983 and originally called the London Balloon Fiesta, takes place in Harris Park at the forks of the Thames River during Simcoe Day (first Monday in August) weekend. The current sponsor of the festival is Sundance Balloons. Spectators can get very close to the balloons, as there are no fixed barricades separating the launch area. There are several special-shaped balloons which regularly attend, including the Canadian Flag, Maple Leaf, Tyrone the T-Rex.
During summer, London has many festivals, including Victoria Park Festival and London BalloonFest in Harris Park. On Saturday, July 30, 2005, I went to Victoria Park Festival at about noon, then toured around Downtown London, and finally went to see the hot air balloons at about 5:30pm which ended at around 7pm. By the time I got back to UWO Ausable Residence, it was already 8:30pm. It was a one whole day trip. Totally exhausted for sure, but it was worthwhile. Had a good time. 
The London Balloon Festival was cancelled in year 2008 due to lack of funding. Not sure if it will resume in year 2009. 
