Saga International Balloon Fiesta

The Saga International Balloon Fiesta is held along the Kase River, outside Saga City, and involves more than 100 balloons, from 15 countries taking part in the festival. This fiesta started in 1978 as a small gathering of 5 hot air balloons, and was then moved to Saga City because of the open space available, and its transformation to an international competition in 1984. The competitions are held from about 6:30 to 9:00AM and from 3:00 to 5:00PM and it has gained the reputation of being one of the best hot balloon competitions in the world!