Leon Balloon Festival

Each November the Parque Metropolitano on Leon's edge hosts the Festival Internacional del Globo, the largest balloon festival in Mexico and among the largest in Latin America: several hundred balloons from dozens of countries, launching in mass ascensions at first light over the park's lake while tens of thousands of spectators drink coffee on the grass in the cold. The programme runs four days: dawn ascensions and afternoon flights, the special-shapes fleet that turns the sky into a cartoon of animals and objects, tethered rides and paid passenger flights for those who book early, and the night glows in which grounded balloons fire their burners in synchrony to music, the envelopes lighting like paper lanterns. Concerts, food halls and a camping village fill the hours between. Weather governs everything - flights are scrubbed for wind or rain with no appeal - so serious viewers come for more than one morning. The festival has grown into Leon's biggest tourism event, which means booking flights, hotels and tickets weeks ahead is not optional.

What you actually see

• The dawn mass ascension - hundreds of balloons off the lake.
• The special shapes - the fleet of improbable envelopes.
• The night glow - synchronized burners after dark.
• The park festival - concerts, food and camping around it.

When to go

Mid-November, on the announced dates; arrive before dawn for the ascensions - the gates open in the dark and the good grass fills fast.

Honest expectations

Mornings are genuinely cold and long; dress accordingly. Wind cancels flights without warning, including paid rides. Traffic and parking around the park are the festival's weak point - use shuttles.

Nearby

Guanajuato city and Cristo Rey are under an hour; Leon's leather-goods trade fills the city itself.