Festival of Balloons Brought Elastic Curiosities To Dallas

While it isn't clear how one discovers a talent in the balloon arts, those competing at Sunday's Festival of Balloons were well-versed in the trade. Roughly 600 sculptors from 50 countries gathered at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel to flex their elastic prowess and construct colossal balloon sculptures. Birds of prey,...

By Jamie Laughlin

March 26, 2012

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

While it isn't clear how one discovers a talent in the balloon arts, those competing at Sunday's Festival of Balloons were well-versed in the trade. Roughly 600 sculptors from 50 countries gathered at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel to flex their elastic prowess and construct colossal balloon sculptures. Birds of prey, a haunted house and even a balloon crucifix Jesus were on display -- we have a few highlights below. Check out the entire photo coverage on our slideshow.

Follow the Mixmaster on Twitter and Facebook.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.