Hot air balloons and flying drones

ASIDE from the usual hot air balloons set to fill the skies of New Clark City (NCC), Tarlac, in February of 2026, the 26" Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) is preparing more flying spectacles, like helicopters, kites, radio-controlled aircraft, and even drones.

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With the theme “A Weekend of Everything that Flies,” the festival will run from Feb. 13 to 15, 2026, offering families, friends, and aviation enthusiasts an opportunity to witness nonstop flying exhibitions.

One of these is a nightly drone show, one of the biggest in the Philippines, lighting up the night sky for the three-day festival. It will use 550 drones in total.

“The drone show at night I think is something very different from all the other drone shows that we've had in the previous years,” said PIHABF founder and director Capt. Jose Mari C. Roa, at the press conference held on Monday in Pasay City.

This year, the festival also marks the largest display of special-shape balloons in its history, with 22 colorful designs flown by pilots from the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, the Netherlands, Macedonia, Switzerland, Germany, and Brazil.

Mr. Roa told Business World that this is the most that they’ve had in any edition of the balloon fiesta.

Another highlight is a locally made manned drone, known as the Hoverbike Air X1. A one-seater version was previewed at the press conference, but a two-seater version is being finalized to be showcased in time for the event, according to its inventor Kyxz Mendiola.