I was genuinely excited for the Oswestry Balloon Carnival this year. I had missed it last year while I was still living with my parents and my fiancée had come to spend the weekend with me, so we made the most of Newton-le-Willows instead. It was a lovely weekend, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly devastated to miss the balloons.
This time, the carnival was only a ten-minute drive from home. That still feels brilliant to say.
A Busy, Friendly Afternoon in Cae Glas Park
I went on the Saturday with my fiancée and her brother, and the atmosphere in Cae Glas Park was busy, lively and really friendly. There was a great selection of food stalls, plenty happening around the park and what felt like every variety of dog in existence. I must have seen around twenty dogs, and somehow not one of them was the same breed. At that point, the balloons were facing some serious competition.
I also tried matcha for the first time. It received a respectable but deeply unenthusiastic 4/10. I’m glad I tried it, but I don’t think the matcha industry needs to prepare for a sudden surge in demand from me.
The food recovered the situation. We found a lovely pizza stall, and even though the wait was around twenty minutes, the smell made it fairly easy to tolerate. The pizza itself was absolutely worth it, the smell and the taste just took me back to a homemade grilled cheese on toast. Later, I apparently returned to childhood and had an ice cream covered in far too much sherbet. My inner child had no complaints, even if my teeth may have been drafting a formal one.
Waiting for the Night Glow
We had originally hoped to see the balloons take off, but the wind was too strong at the time. Ballooning is obviously very weather dependent, so while it was disappointing, it was completely understandable. We decided to stay for the Night Glow instead, and honestly, the wait was worth it.
There was something genuinely fascinating about watching the balloons slowly expand. You normally see them already inflated or floating in the distance, so being close enough to watch the entire process made me appreciate the scale of them. One red and orange balloon in particular stood out to me. It wasn’t shaped like a character or an object, but the scalloped panels gave it this unique, almost heart-like silhouette. Once it was lit from underneath, it looked incredible.
I also greatly appreciated the pilots repeatedly firing the burners because it felt approximately two degrees outside. The balloons may not have been able to fly, but they did briefly become enormous communal patio heaters.
Another Reason the Move Felt Right
Since moving from Merseyside to Oswestry, one of the biggest differences I’ve noticed is how many community events seem to happen nearby. Knowing an event like this was taking place only ten minutes away made the whole evening feel even more special.
The carnival felt like a proper community event. It was free to attend, with visitors able to make a voluntary donation in support of Nightingale House Hospice, and the park was full of families, friends, food stalls, dogs and people who were simply excited to be there. It was busy without losing that friendly local feeling.
Moving somewhere new comes with plenty of moments where you wonder whether you made the right choice. Even after settling in, those little reminders still matter. Standing in Cae Glas Park, feeling happy and bubbly while enormous balloons lit up in front of us, was one of those reminders for me. Oswestry feels like somewhere with an active community, and being able to experience evenings like this so close to home has made me feel even more confident that moving here was the right decision.
As someone who now lives and works as a web developer in Oswestry, I love having another reason to feel connected to the place rather than simply living here.
Would I Go Again?
Absolutely. Hot air balloons are far more fascinating when you see them up close, and the Night Glow was well worth waiting for. I would happily recommend the Oswestry Balloon Carnival to anyone visiting the area or anyone local who has somehow managed to miss it.
My advice for next year is simple: bring a chair and bring a dog. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your own dog, although I should probably clarify that permission is encouraged.
I will definitely be back next year, but this time with camping chairs. My legs worked enough overtime during the wait to qualify for their own voluntary donation.