A London Tradition Cancelled for 2008

The annual London Balloon Festival held Civic Weekend in Harris Park in downtown London will not be staged in August of 2008.

“This was a tough decision because we consider this a landmark event for the City and our firm,” said Barry McGonigle President of Sundance Balloons.

“But, over the past years staging an event of this international magnitude has become increasingly expensive. As a privately owned company we can no longer keep losing money and devoting hundreds of hours of staff time to the organizational details. Further, with the addition of several high-rise buildings in the immediate vicinity of Harris Park, the safety of the balloonists has become a concern. We understand this is a cornerstone of London’s summertime identity, so this decision comes after much hard work and deliberation.”

Sundance had worked with representatives from the City of London and the private sector seeking a new funding method, or a new location for the Festival, but those exhaustive efforts did not bring about the required financial solutions.

“We would like to thank our exceptional sponsors for their support, the volunteers who have worked to make this a safe and enjoyable event and the millions of visitors who crowded into downtown London every summer over the past 25 years. It was quite a run and we are proud of many years our firm was involved in this project,” said McGonigle.

Barry McGonigle
President
London Balloon Festival
Sundance Balloons
519-473-6444