The stars of the 2025 Canberra Balloon Spectacular have been revealed, and they make a purr-fect pair
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That’s right – this year not one but TWO special balloons will grace our skies during the Canberra Balloon Spectacular. And they’re the cat’s pyjamas.
Simba the Lion and Axel the Tiger have been named as the special guests of Canberra’s magical hot air balloon festival, filling our skyline with felines. They’ll join more than 40 balloons that will take flight over the capital from Saturday 15 until Sunday 23 March.
Simba the Lion was built in 2010 to create awareness and help stop the poaching of lions while Axel is flying in off the back of the 2024 The Great Reno Balloon Race.
Simba the Lion.
Turning the skyline into a sea of colour and movement, they join our impressive history of special-shaped balloons, including a giant T-Rex, a beagle, a frog, the hummingbird, and Tico the sloth.
“The Canberra Balloon Spectacular is a wonderful event each year, filled with colour and a great atmosphere,” says ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
“The event continues to grow in popularity and has become a signature event filling Canberra’s sky with colour during the autumn when our city looks particularly beautiful.”
In other exciting news, the 2025 Canberra Balloon Spectacular will be returning to its original home at John Dunmore Lang Place and will be running separately from the Enlighten Festival (which will be taking between Friday 28 February and Monday 10 March), improving the chances of near-perfect balloon-flying conditions.
Axel the Tiger.
While there’s no guarantee the balloons will launch each morning, there’s still a lot of fun to be had during the festival’s run.
Daily flight announcements will be made around 6 am on the Canberra Balloon Spectacular website and the Events ACT Facebook page to confirm if the weather conditions will allow the balloons to take off. Make sure you have those notifications on!
If balloons can’t fly, some may be inflated and tethered at John Dunmore Lang Place so visitors can walk among them, take photos and enjoy breakfast from the food trucks and coffee carts.
“This year the festival stands alone to make space for it to grow bigger and better than ever,” says Minister Barr.
“Make sure you get out there and take it all in.”
Is it worth the early start? Without a doubt.
Don’t forget that you can also soak in those stunning views from other vantage points around town and remember to pack something warm and get ready to wave as Simba and Axel pass by!
For more information visit canberraballoonspectacular.com.
