The hard core of soft aviation
The annual balloon party returns on December 28, 2026. One of the longest-running programs at Paradiso.
The origin of the Balloon Festival
written by Hans Plomp in 2023
New visitors to the Ballonnenfestijn often think the name has to do with the balloons with joints attached that rain down on partygoers all night long. A mistake, because this name refers to the Amsterdam Balloon Company (ABG) founded in 1972. A motley group of creative minds with roots in the revolutionary 1960s. Their goal: to organize festivals and happenings in the spirit of homo ludens (The Playing Man).
The Amsterdam Balloon Company wants to keep the voice of “Magical Center Amsterdam” alive. Ruigoord has proven to be an ideal place for this. Our cultural haven has lovingly welcomed the ABG. Since the early 1980s, we have organized a spectacular ritual in Paradiso every year on December 28. Every year, a statement on a pressing subject, from Zero Intolerance to Expatriation, from 50 years of the atomic bomb to Real Emptiness.
