Strong Winds Disrupt Hot Air Balloon Festival in Solo, Several Balloons Torn
The city of Surakarta (Solo) came alive once again on Sunday (17 May 2026) as thousands of residents flocked to Alun-alun Utara, in front of the Surakarta Palace, to witness the hot air balloon festival held in celebration of Bank Jateng Syariah’s anniversary.
A total of 18 hot air balloons were flown during the event, which involved artists and expert teams from Wonosobo Regency.
Although the festival was lively, it faced serious challenges due to strong winds, which disrupted the balloon launching process.
The festival organiser, Slamet Sulistiono, explained that the safe wind speed for flying hot air balloons is around 4 knots. However, on that morning, the wind speed reached 12 to 20 knots, far exceeding the safety limit.
“It was impossible to continue keeping the balloons in the air because the strong winds could tear them,” he said, as reported by Kompas.com (17 May 2026).
The organisers plan to conduct a thorough evaluation of the balloon-tearing incident.
Slamet confirmed that the festival had obtained all necessary permits, including from AirNav Indonesia, airport authorities, the air force base, the police, and for public gatherings.
The hot air balloon festival had previously been held in Semarang and Kudus, but the weather in Solo presented a unique challenge this time.
Despite the wind disruption, the enthusiasm of thousands of residents kept the event lively. Slamet even believes that Solo is a promising location to hold similar festivals regularly.
Not only did spectators enjoy the event, but street vendors also benefited from the festival’s crowds. Widodo (52), an ice cream vendor from Magelang Regency, arrived at 02:00 AM to sell his products at the venue.
His efforts paid off, as he sold out both buckets of ice cream he brought. While selling, Widodo also watched the balloon launches and noticed that some balloons could not fly high, likely due to the increasing wind speed.
The large number of people wanting to see the balloons caused traffic congestion around Alun-alun Utara. Jalan Jenderal Sudirman and Jalan Pakoe Boewono were even temporarily completely blocked due to the overwhelming number of visitors and vehicles. The area leading to Alun-alun Utara was closed to ensure safety.
The hot air balloon festival in Solo demonstrated the high public interest in this unique event. However, the strong wind challenges provide an important lesson for organisers regarding the need for more comprehensive weather preparation.
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