As a lamplighter sings in Mary Poppins Returns, ' You never know what's up ahead / Underneath the lovely London sky'. For one morning in June, that lovely sky will be full of floating hot air balloons, as part of the Lord Mayor's Show. The Hot Air Balloon Regatta will launch in Battersea Park and, if the wind blows in the right direction, should travel towards Westminster, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.
With a fleet of fifty balloons, it's quite the spectacle and is likely to light up Instagram feeds across the city. But actually catching the flight might be tricky. Due to the precise weather conditions needed for hot air balloons to fly, the date may change at the last minute (2018's event was finally cancelled after a series of postponements).
The official standby dates for the 2019 Balloon Regatta are 2, 9, 16 and 30 June. And you'll need to set an early alarm if you'd like to watch: the flight starts between 5am and 5:30am.
Click here for updates about the date of the Lord Mayor's Hot Air Balloon Regatta.
| What | Hot Air Balloon Regatta, London 2019 |
| Where | Various Locations | MAP |
| When |
02 Jun 19 – 30 Jun 19, Proposed date 2 June. Standby dates in case of bad weather: 9, 16 or 30 June |
| Price | £free |
| Website | Click here for more information |
