The rubber balloon was invented by Michael Faraday in 1824, during experiments with various gases. He invented them for use in the lab.
Once inflated with regular, atmospheric air, the air inside the balloon will have a greater air pressure than the original atmospheric air pressure.
Balloons have a certain elasticity to them that needs to be taken into account. The act of stretching a balloon fills it with potential energy.. When it is released, the potential energy is converted to kinetic energy and the balloon snaps back into its original position, though perhaps a little stretched out. When a balloon is filled with air, the balloon is being stretched. While the elasticity of the balloon causes tension that would have the balloon collapse, it is also being pushed back out by the constant bouncing of the internal air molecules. The internal air has to exert force not only to counteract the external air to keep the air pressures "even", but it also has to counteract the natural contraction of the balloon. Therefore, it requires more air pressure (or force) than the air outside the balloon wall. Because of this, when helium balloons are left and they float higher, as atmospheric pressure decreases, the air inside it exerts more pressure than outside it so the balloon pops from tension. In some cases, the helium leaks out from pores and the balloon deflates, falling down.
Balloons filled with hot air or a buoyant gas have been used as flying machines since the 18th century. The earliest flights were made with hot air balloons using air heated with a flame, or hydrogen as the lifting gas. Later, coal gas and later still helium were used. An unpowered balloon travels with the wind. A balloon which has an engine to propel it is called a dirigible balloon or Airship...
Balloons are often deliberately released, creating a so-called balloon rocket. Balloon rockets work because the elastic balloons contract on the air within them, and so when the mouth of the balloon is opened, the gas within the balloon is expelled out, and due to Newton's third law of motion, the balloon is propelled forward. This is the same way that a rocket works.
Red, white, and blue balloon columns. Patriotic balloon decor.
How to make a Huge Balloon Column/Birthday Balloon Tower/Wedding Balloon/Baby Shower Balloon
Balloons are used for decorating birthday parties, weddings, corporate functions, school events, and for other festive gatherings. The artists who use the round balloons to build are called "stackers" and the artists who use pencil balloons to build are called "twisters." Most commonly associated with helium balloon decor, more recently balloon decorators have been moving towards the creation of air-filled balloon decorations due to the non-renewable natural resource of helium limited in supply. The most common types of balloon decor include arches, columns, centerpieces, balloon drops, sculptures, and balloon bouquets. With the increased aptitude for balloon twisting as well as balloon stacking, the rise of the deco-twister manifests itself as the combination of stacking techniques as well as twisting techniques to create unique and interesting balloon decor options.
Airigami is, at its heart, a team of artists who create large-scale installations, illustrations, and experiences entirely out of balloons—from small single sculptures to stadium-sized, record-breaking installations.
The artist Rie Hosokai (previously), who goes by the more professionally appropriate moniker Daisy Balloon, creates wild and intricate dresses out of small balloons. Fashion is her forte but she also designs sculptural work as well, like the giant teddy bear (made from smaller teddy bear balloons) for the recent (2014) Nipponista pop-up shop in NY.
“Pattern Dress 2” (2013)
New York artist Jason Hackenwerth
“THE MOMENT IN A SPRINGS” (2012) for Osaka Takashimaya - Created by Daisy Balloon..
“Pattern Dress 1” (2013)
New York artist Jason Hackenwerth
New York artist Jason Hackenwerth, known for his organic and biological forms made from latex balloons, just unveiled his latest work at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in the Grand Gallery of the National Museum of Scotland. Titled Pisces the sculpture is the artist’s interpretation of the legend of Aphrodite and Eros: in Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the Goddess of love and her son, Eros, escaped the fearsome monster Typhon by transforming into a tightly woven spiral of two fish, a figure which later became a constellation called Pisces. The spiraling form is made from 10,000 balloons which took three staff members nearly six days to blow up, after which Hackenwerth and his assistant Leah Blair wove carefully into this three dimensional structure.
Shammer Diaz - Brand & visual designer
New York artist Jason Hackenwerth
The Balloon Crew, produced by Chris Adamo CBA
Balloonfest '86 was a 1986 event in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in which the local chapter of United Way set a world record by releasing almost one-and-a-half million balloons. The event was intended to be a harmless fundraising publicity stunt, but the balloons drifted back over the city, Lake Erie, and landed in the surrounding area, causing problems for traffic and a nearby airport. The event also interfered with a United States Coast Guard search for two boaters who were later found drowned. In consequence, the organizers and the city faced lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages, and cost overruns put the event at a net loss.
The stunt was coordinated by a Los Angeles-based company headed by Treb Heining, Balloonart by Treb, which spent six months preparing for it. A rectangular structure the size of a city block was set up to hold the balloons on the southwest quadrant of Public Square in Cleveland. It measured 250 feet (76 m) by 150 feet (46 m), was three stories high and was covered with a one-piece net of woven mesh material. Inside, 2,500 students and other volunteers spent many hours filling the balloons with Helium..United Way originally planned to release two million balloons, but eventually stopped at over 1.4 million. Children sold sponsorships to benefit United Way at the price of $1 for every two balloons.
Balloonfest 86 Post Launch
The Doomed Cleveland Balloonfest of '86
Balloonfest 86..
The beginning of the Balloonfest’86 in Cleveland, Ohio. Almost 1.5 million balloons.
On Saturday, September 27, 1986, with a rainstorm approaching, organizers decided on an early release of the balloons at about 1:50 p.m. EDT. Close to 1.5 million balloons rose up from Cleveland's Public Square, surrounding Terminal Tower and surpassing a world record set the previous year on the 30th anniversary of Disneyland..
Two fishermen, Raymond Broderick and Bernard Sulzer, who had gone out on September 26, were reported missing by their families on the day of the event. Rescuers spotted their 16-foot (4.9 m) boat anchored west of the Edgewater Park breakwall. A Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter crew had difficulties reaching the area because of the "asteroid field" of balloons. A search-and-rescue boat crew tried to spot the fishermen floating in the lake, but Guard officials said balloons in the water made it impossible to see whether anyone was in the lake. On September 29, the Coast Guard suspended its search. The fishermen's bodies subsequently washed ashore. The wife of one of the fishermen sued the United Way of Cleveland and the company that organized the balloon release for $3.2 million and later settled on undisclosed terms.
Balloons landing on a pasture in Medina County, Ohio, spooked Louise Nowakowski's Arabian Horses, which allegedly suffered permanent injuries as a result. Nowakowski sued the United Way of Cleveland for $100,000 in damages and settled for undisclosed terms.
Balloonfest 86 - Lake Erie is smothered with balloons..
Students from Notre Dame Academy watch as they release a bunch of balloons to join the rest on top. (The Plain Dealer)
The 1988 copy of The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the event as a world record "largest ever mass balloon release", with 1,429,643 balloons launched. Because of the damage caused, Guinness no longer measures environmentally unsound events like balloon releases.
BallonFest 86, Children watch with awe and excitement as nearly 1.5 million helium multi colored balloons are released into the sky..
Typically, a helium-filled latex balloon that is released outdoors will stay aloft long enough to be fully deflated before it descends to Earth. However, the Balloonfest balloons collided with a front of cool air and rain and dropped towards the ground, still inflated, clogging the land and waterways of Northeast Ohio. In the days following the event, many balloons were reported washed ashore on the Canadian side of Lake Erie..
BalloonFest 86, Balloons wait to be released..
Burke Lakefront Airport had to shut down a runway for half an hour after balloons landed there. Traffic collisions were also reported "as drivers swerved to avoid slow motion blizzards of multicolored orbs or took their eyes off the road to gawk at the overhead spectacle..
Balloon Infatuation
Balloon Infatuation.
"The volunteers were pouring in all night long and by dawn it looked like a helium mountain rising out of Public Square," reported Neil Zurcher, in a news account for WJW Fox-8. "The balloons, like a giant cloud, rose over the square, while others tumbling and danced against the buildings. The crowd loved it." (The Plain Dealer)
Aug. 15, 2012— -- For children, balloons can make the heart soar, but when an adult tucks his balloons into bed at night, he could be considered a "looner."
Dave Collins, a former piano teacher from outside Little Rock, Ark., thinks of his balloons as his children. And he has fathered 65,000 of them. He cuddles them and coddles them, but insists the relationship is purely platonic. "Some people think I am doing something else with them, but I am not," he says. "I am pure in my life -- I keep the balloons the same way."
Balloon Infatuation | National Geographic
Each night, he tucks one under his shirt and sleeps with the chosen balloon. "They create a world of sleeping on clouds and I want to feel the love emanating from these beautiful, beautiful balloons," he says in the episode.
"It feels so warm and your heart just reaches out to [them]," he says. "I believe these are my children. They are a part of who I am ... and make a part of my so-called family."
“The best way to protect it is underneath the shirt and you feel the balloon right there with you. It feels so close and you feels so warm and you feel so…and your heart just reaches out to this beautiful, beautiful balloon,”
“I feel a balloon has feeling. It’s vulnerable to a lot of things. I hate it when it gets sad, I hate it when it gets popped. A balloon needs a good home,” he says.
A multidisciplinary visual designer based in Helsinki, Finland. Eemil Friman -
Balloon Infatuation @ ELawshea
Balloon Infatuation @ ELawshea - My thoughts on Balloon BOY Getting his Loving on with Balloons
This Guy Lost His Marriage To Balloons
Lonely Blue Balloon
Balloon Machine Operation
Balloon Machine Operation
The earliest vending machine was invented by a man named Hero Alexandria in the first century. Hero Alexandria, a Greek engineer and mathematician, created a machine that accepted a coin, before dispensing holy water. At the temples where citizens worshipped, this device ensured that people were not taking more than their fair share of holy water.
When users inserted the coin into the machine, it would land on the pan which was connected to a lever. The weight of the coin on the pan would be heavy enough to pull on the lever, enabling the valve to open and flow holy water. The pan continued to slant until the mass of the coin would drop. When the coin had completely fallen off the pan, the lever retracted, and the valve would close.
18th Century
It wasn’t until the early 1880s when society embraced Hero Alexandria’s ingenious invention. In 1822, an English bookseller named Richard Carlile came up with a newspaper dispensing machine. In 1867, Simeon Denham won the British Patent no. 706 for creating the first fully-automatic vending machine, dispensing stamps.
In 1883, Percival Everett was the first man to introduce a modernised vending machine, which dispensed postcards. His vending machine became very popular and was soon after installed at railway stations and post offices. Percival Everett’s vending machines were able to offer customers notepaper, envelopes and postcards.
In 1888, Thomas Adams was the first person to build a vending machine that dispensed chewing gum. The gum, named Tutti-Frutti, was available around New York City subway stations.
In 1893, a German chocolate manufacturer called Stollwerck sold their chocolate via 15,000 vending machines. Besides chocolate, their other vending machines sold chewing gum, cigarettes, matches and soap products.
19th Century
Beverage machines that dispensed soft drinks into cups were devised in the early 1900s. This idea flourished a few decades after, whereby vending machines started offering bottled drinks to their customers. Coca-Cola was the first company to sell their bottled drinks through vending machines.
In 1946, coffee vendors were developed, followed by refrigerated sandwich vendors in 1950. Several decades later, in 1984, Automatic Products International Ltd. introduced a vending machine which could ground coffee beans and produce fresh brew.
The Balloon Boy hoax occurred on October 15, 2009, when a homemade helium-filled gas balloon shaped to resemble a silver flying saucer was released into the atmosphere above Fort Collins, Colorado, by Richard and Mayumi Heene. They then claimed that their six-year-old son Falcon was trapped inside it. Authorities confirmed the balloon reached 7,000 feet (2,100 m) during its 90-minute flight. The event attracted worldwide attention, and Falcon was nicknamed "Balloon Boy" in the media.
Balloon Boy's' family discusses life 10 years after incident | Nightline
National Guard helicopters and local police pursued the balloon. After flying for more than an hour and approximately 50 miles (80 km), the balloon landed about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Denver International Airport. When Falcon was not found inside and it was reported that an object had been seen falling from the balloon, a search was begun. Later that day, the boy was found hiding in the attic of his home, where he had apparently been the entire time.
Reports that 6-year-old Falcon Heene was inside a fly-away mylar balloon dominated television news Oct. 15. Subsequent reports indicate that the event was likely a hoax cooked up by the boy's parents.
John Moore/Getty Images
It was the balloon America couldn’t take its eyes off—floating out of control in the Colorado sky, purportedly carrying a six-year-old boy inside. Cable news speculated on the child’s odds of survival. It was one of the first breaking news events to unfold on the internet as much as TV, with people on Twitter chronicling the balloon’s every movement.
When the balloon finally landed, several hours later on October 15, 2009, the boy was not aboard. The country had been transfixed by an empty vessel filled with hot air—the perfect metaphor for a certain kind of American media moment.
The other day i just out of the blue went and bought balloons for myself. That made me feel alive and i realised that i actually love life. I’ve been going through a lot lately, but this made me smile. I genuinely felt happy. also i kinda like the pics and didn’t know where to post lol..
How One Man Flies Hundreds of Miles Using Balloons
Remember when Carl tied all those balloons to his house in the Pixar movie “Up” and flew? Jonathan Trappe does that in real life. He attaches helium balloons to office chairs, gondolas, boats, even little houses, and he goes flying. Trappe has crossed the English Channel and soared over the Alps. He’s witnessed spectacular sunsets and glorious moonrises. Here’s how a guy who is an IT consultant by day made his wildest childhood dream a reality.
.jpg)
Jonathan Trappe's Cluster Balloon Take-Off from Caribou, Maine
Jonathan Trappe's Cluster Balloon Take-Off from Caribou, Maine
Bon voyage: Jonathan Trappe waves from the lifeboat which hangs from the balloons ahead of taking off from Caribou, Maine
The latest weather reports suggested winds would take Trappe to western Europe but unpredictable conditions could see him land anywhere between Morocco and Iceland
Trappe already holds the record for the longest-ever cluster balloon flight after crossing the English Channel in 2012 and the Alps in 2011 when he suspended an office chair from similar helium balloons to those used in this journey
Each balloon is attached to a Helium tank and then filled to capacity - Five people have died in the past trying to make the 2,500 mile journey in conventional hot air balloons or single gas balloons as the result of unexpected winds and storms..
Trappe is relying on state-of-the-art weather data from the meteorologist who advised Felix Baumgartner on his record-breaking skydive from the stratosphere last year 2012..
The 370 balloons have been attached to a lifeboat which will save Mr Trappe's life if he drops into water at any point in the dangerous journey
Volunteers clutch on to seven helium balloons ahead of Trappe's take off this morning after the journey was put on hold for months due to poor weather conditions.
Colonel Joe Kittinger, 84, who acted as Capsule Communicator during Felix Baumgartner's skydive from space, has aided with preparations for the dangerous journey
Mr Trappe's partner Nidia Ramirez was there to wave him off this morning as he prepares to embark on the 2,500 mile flight which could see him reach altitudes of 25,000ft
Mr Trappe said though he was aware how dangerous the feat is, he wants to live an interesting life and 'go forward in the spirit of adventure'
An American aviator who was trying to cross the Atlantic suspended from 370 helium-filled balloons has had to abandon his effort, just 12 hours and about 350 miles into the trip.
Jonathan Trappe landed in a remote part of Newfoundland, Canada, on Thursday night after putting a message on his Facebook page reading: "Hmm this doesn't look like France." He was foiled by what his team have described as a technical issue after his capsule lifted off in heavy fog in Caribou, Maine, in the US and made its way over the Canadian border and across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
He then reported a "quiet sky … travelling at over 50mph in my little yellow rowboat". But after joking about not having arrived at one of his possible European destinations, he later reported that he had landed safely, and said: "I put the exposure canopy up on the boat. Will stay here for the night." Kevin Knapp, speaking from the command centre overseeing Trappe's flight, told Aero News Network the cluster balloon was never able to achieve a stable altitude and developed a yo-yo effect – rapid descents, with the aircraft hitting the surface of the water, followed by rapid ascents to 21,000ft or more. Knapp told other news outlets: "I can confirm that Jonathan was forced to abandon the planned flight at around 18.30 EST. Thankfully he is safe and well and currently making preparations to get home. "While disappointing that he had to cut his quest across the Atlantic short, I know Jonathan thanks everyone for their support and encouragement."
There were commiserations around the world - including one from Virgin boss and fellow balloonist, Richard Branson.
He tweeted: 'Commiserations to Jonathan Trappe, who has abandoned his UP-style cluster balloon crossing. I know how you must feel!'
Branson activates the propane burner of a hot-air balloon to inflate it before flying over Marrakesh, Morocco.
Reuters
Quote by Sir Richard Branson.. My favourite mode of transport is hot air ballooning.. It's so graceful to be blown by the wind, to go where the wind takes you.
Branson's love affair with hot-air balloons began in the mid-1980s. With business at Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic booming, Branson began pursuing challenges of a physical and engineering nature. After a successful boating stunt that saw him beat the world record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Branson set his sights on another world record: crossing the Atlantic by hot-air balloon.
Richard Branson & Per Lindstrand: First People to Cross the Atlantic in a Hot-Air Balloon!
Branson points out other hot-air balloons flying over Marrakesh.
Reuters
Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand smile and wave to a crowd of 10,000 before lift-off from Miyakonojo, Japan, in their attempt to fly across the Pacific.
Reuters/Eriko Sugita
Richard Branson: Cheating death in a giant balloon..
Quote by Richard Branson - Everything went wrong. We lost two-thirds of our fuel. We were only 1,000 miles into the trip, with 7,000 more miles to go. We had to average 180 miles per hour in a balloon [to make it across] .... I was facing almost certain death …. We could have just slumped on the floor and accepted our fate or try to fly the balloon into the core of the jet stream and find the strongest winds you can find, stay awake for three days, and do everything you can to avoid what, on paper, looked like a sad ending.
First Trans-Atlantic Crossing in a Hot Air Balloon - Guinness World Records 60th Anniversary
Miraculously, the team found their way into the jet stream and were shot across to the Canadian Arctic, missing their destination (Los Angeles) by 4,000 miles. The team broke existing records for flight duration and distance, reaching speeds of 245 mph. It was the luckiest of outcomes.
Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand in the balloon capsule before launch in Japan, 1991
In 1991, Branson and Lindstrand successfully crossed the Pacific Ocean in a hot air balloon, setting a distance record of 6,700 miles. It took them 48 hours altogether to fly from Japan to Canada and the pair broke the previous hot air balloon distance record of 3,072 miles, set during their Atlantic crossing in 1987.
During their balloon flight over the Pacific, Branson and Lindstrand set both speed and distance records, achieving an average speed of around 150mph and a maximum of 245mph.
In the mid-to-late 1990s, Branson made several unsuccessful attempts to fly all the way round the world by balloon. In 1998, accompanied again by Lindstrand and a new member of the ballooning team, Steve Fossett, he flew from Morocco all the way to Hawaii in his final attempt, this time in a combined helium/hot air balloon. Although the flight ultimately failed to circumnavigate the globe, a Swiss balloon team achieved the feat the following year.
In 1987, at the age of 36, Branson crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a hot air balloon. He made the trip in the company of a Swede, Per Lindstrand, who was the balloon’s designer. The ‘Virgin Atlantic Flyer’ was the first ever hot air balloon to successfully complete the Atlantic crossing, during which it achieved speeds of more than 130mph. The balloon was also the biggest that had ever flown, with a total volume of 2.3m cubic feet.
There was a dramatic end to the journey when Branson and Lindstrand had no option but to leap from their balloon into the sea after low cloud forced them to descend short of their Scottish landing site. This occurred after their balloon had briefly touched the ground in Northern Ireland before gaining altitude again, only to sink down to the waves, dragging the pair through the water at 100mph.
Both adventurers managed to survive their leap, although Branson, who was the last one left on board, believed that his co-pilot had not made it to safety. In fact, Lindstrand spent over two hours in the sea before being rescued by the Royal Navy. He and Branson were then reunited in the helicopter that flew them to a nearby hospital.
At the time, there was uncertainty regarding whether the pair had been successful in their record attempt. As the balloon had briefly touched the ground in Northern Ireland the team believed their flight had succeeded, but the International Aeronautical Federation required landings to take place on either land or fresh water, with an intact craft. In the end, the record was approved.
Virgin Atlantic Flyer
After Hillary Clinton's speech accepting the nomination for the Democratic Party, hundreds of balloons fell from the rafters all over everyone in the audience -- including the Democratic presidential ticket and their families. Many Twitter users noticed that no one appeared to enjoy playing with them as much as former President Bill Clinton. Former President Bill Clinton seemed to be having the time of his life during the balloon drop after Hillary's speech at the Democratic National Convention.
Democratic National Convention: Balloons. July 28, 2016
Democratic National Convention: Balloons. July 28, 2016
Bill Clinton and his balloons. Photograph: Xinhua / Barcroft Images
An overwhelming experience for Hillary Clinton..Catch’em all! (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
Surrounded by Balloons - (AP/Mark J. Terrill)
(Reuters/Mike Segar)
Presumptive VPOTUS Tim Kaine definitely likes balloons. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
The balloon drop at the end of the 2016 DNC. Photograph by Flickr user Lorie Shaull.
The balloons take over -
Such a magical moment - Bill and Hillary embrace as they absorb the powerful rally..
Police officers joked they were left "completely terrified" as red balloons were tied to drains in a reference to Stephen King's horror novel 'It'. The red balloon is used by Pennywise, the child-eating clown in the novel, to lure children down into the sewers. The Lititz Borough police department in Pennsylvania posted photos of the red balloons on there Facebook page, speculating that a prankster had been tying them to the sewer gates. The playful message requested “respectfully” that they don’t do it again.
More than 16,000 people shared the post, which concluded with the words “You’ll float too”, the evil clown’s ominous catchphrase which is never fully explained…
"Lititz is now officially the creepiest little town in America," one person commented.
"I don't think we have an accurate balloon count, but it's definitely above 20," Sergeant Stephen Detz with the Lititz Borough Police Department told CBS News. "They pretty much hit the entire town and the area around the town." Sergeant Detz said there are some "It" fans within the department, so when officers saw the balloons they immediately caught the reference. In another Facebook post later that day, the police department joked that they had “turned the investigation over to our Criminal Investigations Division.”
PERÚ VS ALEMANIA | FINAL BALLOON WORLD CUP
Peru's Francesco De La Cruz celebrates after winning the first Balloon World Cup.
New types of active sport are being invented all the time, Now we have the Balloon World Cup.. This active sport is highly charged as you as a player must keep the balloon from touching the ground.. Inspired by a series of viral videos and organized by Barcelona soccer player Gerard Pique and internet celebrity Ibai Llanos, the inaugural Balloon World Cup took place in Tarragona..Francesco De La Cruz emerged as the first champion after beating German Jan Spiess 6-2 in the final on a 8x8 meter court littered with living room furniture as well as a small car. "I am very, very happy, I thank God that I have been able to achieve this," said the Peruvian teenager.
The rules of the game are simple. Players have to hit the balloon in an upward direction and they score points if their opponent fails to prevent it from touching the ground.
Teams from 32 countries took part including an American team of Antonio and Diego Arredondo, whose videos of the game they played with their sister, Isabel, at home in Oregon were a huge hit on social media and inspired the tournament.
"We played the game as kids, and then, during the start of quarantine for Covid, we wanted to play it again," Antonio Arredondo told Reuters.
"We started arguing with each other over if it hit the ground or not, so we started taking videos in slow-mo to see if it did, and then finally it got to the point of 'Let's post this video of us on Tik-Tok.'
"When I woke up the next morning, it was completely viral, like a million likes, and then after that we just decided to keep playing and played more and more until one of our rounds got the attention of Ibai and Pique."
Don't let it drop: Peru win the first ever Balloon World Cup
Pique, who won a soccer World Cup with Spain in 2010, was delighted with how the inaugural tournament had gone.
"It's been amazing, it's something totally different, sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone and try new things," he said.
Peru's Francesco De La Cruz in action with Argentina's Elian Barrado during the Balloon World Cup.
Balloon lovers in Belgium have breathed life into a giant maze made of, you guessed it, 100,000 balloons. At 6,000 square feet, organizers say it's the biggest labyrinth ever made with balloons.
Running in a balloon Maze (labyrinth) in a balloon art convention
Running in a balloon Maze (labyrinth) in a balloon art convention
The inflatable maze, on display at the Millennium Jam festival in Belgium, was the brainchild of Didier Dvorak, a balloon artist and enthusiast from Switzerland. "He thought it would be cool to create a giant maze, so he contacted several people from all over the world to create a team," co-creator Sophie Maertens told Refinery29. Getting that idea off the ground took five years. An American company called Qualatex provided the roughly 100,000 balloons used to build the maze, which features five secret rooms and quirky balloon art. A team of 25 people spent 1,000 hours blowing up those orbs, working shifts of 10 hours a day, Maertens said. (Remarkably, very few popped during the process, she said.) More than 1,000 balloon lovers, hailing from all over the world, are expected to explore the maze during the four-day festival. But navigating the completed labyrinth is no easy feat, even for the creators. "We did get lost a few time in the maze while working on it…and I must admit there is one room that I still can’t find without the help of the map," Maertens, who is from Belgium, said. As for why they chose the eye-popping orange hue for the balloons? They matched co-creator Dvorak's glasses.