Every year in London, a fleet of colourful hot air balloons rises up and flies over the city. Or at least, that’s the plan. Because that unfortunately hasn’t been the case for a while. While The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta® is a sight to behold – it’s not every day you see the blue sky peppered with colourful floating pods that float gently through the capital’s skies – it sadly hasn’t been able to take place since 2019. But we’re crossing our fingers (especially given the recent lovely weather) that things could all be about to change for 2025. In fact – it could potentially happen this very weekend!
Each year, since the successful flight in 2019, the flight of the hot air balloons has been cancelled for one reason or another. At first, the Coronavirus pandemic caused the flights to be stood down in 2020 and 2021. But in 2022, 2023, and 2024, adverse weather conditions caused the stunning event to be cancelled. Then, for 2025 three potential dates were announced for The Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta®. Unfortunately, two of those dates have now passed by without a successful flight.
Had the weather conditions been just riiiiiight, a flock of up to 50 hot air balloons could have taken to the sky on Sunday, May 11. Sadly, this was not the case. The flight of the balloons was cancelled due to concerns over wind speed and direction. The subsequent July 20 date was also cancelled due to “rain forecast… along with gusty conditions and fast upper wind speeds.”
But fret not – there is one more date when it could all happen! The next standby date is Sunday, July 27.
Image: @xballooning, via IG
What’s the deal with all the dates and cancellations?
After 2019’s successful flight, the 2020 and 2021 events were all cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Which, you know, is a very valid reason to cancel. Each subsequent year then saw cancellation after cancellation, and our hopes being dashed over and over again. They even considered standby dates as late as October, but still, the conditions weren’t safe enough for the balloons to take to the sky.
Last year, hopes for a July 7 flight date were scuppered by grey clouds and rain. Subsequent flight dates on July 21 and 28 were then cancelled due to unsuitable wind conditions. And now, here we are in 2025. Two dates have now been cancelled, and we’re left desperately hoping the event might finally take place. After all, it’s been six years since the last successful flight!
The flight of the hot air balloons
When the hot air balloon regatta actually does take place, the whole thing kicks off pretty damn early. It starts with a 5:30am set-off from Battersea Park. Hot air balloon fans will need to set a very early alarm to make sure they don’t miss a second.
The official Lord Mayor’s Appeal hot air balloon leads the way, carrying both the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress. Should the event go forward, you’ll spot them gliding over Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye – and it does look bloody lovely!
Up to fifty balloons take to the skies each year (when it actually happens), and the event raises funds and awareness for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. You can keep an eye on the updates page for the procession here.
There is currently one standby date left for the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta 2025. This is July 27. Keep an eye on their socials to stay up to date.