Up, up and away this Sukkot with not one hot air balloon festival to enjoy – but TWO!
The now annual hot air balloon festivals at Ma‘ayan Harod National Park in the Jezreel Valley (next to the Gilboa Mountains) and Eshkol National Park in the Negev are returning this Sukkot, so grab the kids and head to either festival for some great family fun!
The Ma‘ayan Harod National Park Festival kicks off the action, on 22-23 September, while the Eshkol National Park Festival continues the festivities on 23-24 September. At each festival, expect some fun activities for all the family, including an awesome GLOW event each night, which involves the fiery hot air balloons lighting up the night skies.
Tickets cost 99 shekels per person for Eshkol National Park, while at the Ma‘ayan Harod National Park tickets will cost 129 shekels. Children under 3 do not require a ticket, while there is also a family ticket that makes it very worthwhile if you have two kids over the age of 3. For tickets, call: 08-8663300 (Sheffa).
There is the possibility of camping onsite, but we’d advise you to get there early as these festivals have proven very popular over the last couple of years.
Don’t forget, the balloons set off early at dawn – 6am!
For more information, see the official site (Hebrew only).
Here’s a taste of what to expect at the Ma’ayan Harod Festival…