The city’s first hot air balloon festival takes place this Friday and Saturday (June 23 and 24).

So with excitement mounting, we’ve rounded up all the important information ahead of the first Worcester Balloon Festival.

Can I still get tickets for Worcester Balloon Festival?

Yes, tickets are still available to buy up until the start of the festival on Friday afternoon via skiddle.com.

After that, there will be tickets available on the gate.

Where is the Worcester Balloon Festival being held?

The festival is taking place at Worcester Racecourse. Pitchcroft has a reputation for flooding and the festival’s original date in May had to be postponed because the racecourse was waterlogged.

What is the weather forecast for Worcester?

Organisers and visitors will be keeping their fingers crossed that the rain - and heavy winds - will keep away from Worcester this weekend.

The balloons can only fly in dry conditions with low winds.

At the time of writing, the Met Office was forecasting temperatures of about 23C on Friday afternoon and up to 25C on Saturday, with a low chance of rain and winds of about 10mph.

When will the balloons be taking off?

Balloon ascents will be taking place between 7pm and 8pm on both days, depending on the weather. And at 10pm there will be a spectacular balloon night glow.

And at 10.20pm on each evening, the festival will conclude with a fireworks display.

What time does the balloon festival open?

The gates open at 4pm on Friday and close at 11pm. The festival reopens at midday on Saturday, which will have a full schedule of arena entertainment as well as the balloon launches, and will again finish at 11pm.

Where can I see the hot air balloons in Worcester?

Pitchcroft will be the place to see the balloons take off. If the weather is good, this will happen multiple times during the day.

But you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the balloons from across the city and even further afield - they could be travelling up to 10 miles on the day.