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As hot air balloons are inflated on the lawns of Old Parliament House and burners are lit, sending them into the air, ballooning veteran John Wallington will be the man on the ground. Canberra's Balloon Spectacular kicks off this Saturday and will see more than 40,000 bleary-eyed locals and visitors brave the morning chill to gawk at the display over nine days, until Sunday March 17. The spectacle will start at about 6.15am each morning, with Mr Wallington and an additional weather man making the call about whether it's safe to fly. Daily announcements about the verdict will be made on the event's website. "The balloons can't take much wind on the ground. It needs to be calm, so less than five kilometres an hour and no rain or fog," Mr Wallington said. Once they're given the green light, pilots will start inflating their hot air balloons, which takes about 15 minutes to half an hour depending on their size. That's when spectators will have the chance to get up close to them, Mr Wallington said. A hot air balloon pilot with 35 years experience and the founder of Balloon Aloft, Mr Wallington has been involved in the festival since it started in 1985. "People can expect to see a mass of colour and activity - burners are turned on, there's lots of flames, and very brightly coloured balloons. The public can get very close to them and it's a great atmosphere," he said. Most of the 33 hot air balloons at this year's event should be in the air by about 7.15am with the expectation that they'll come down by about 10am. The biggest and best, according to organisers, will be "Beagle Maximus" - a shaped balloon from the US, which has been dubbed "the largest dog in the world" by its owner. The balloon is more than 36 metres long and 27 metres tall. The fabric for it alone weighs more than 300 kilograms. Other shaped balloons at the event will be "RAAF Helmet" and "Nudie". "The [Canberra Balloon Spectacular] is the longest-standing ballooning event in Australia," Mr Wallington said. "It has got some really interesting qualities about it, which is why the ACT uses it for tourism so much. [The balloons] are such a feature of Canberra." The Canberra Balloon Spectacular will host several food and drink vendors, including the Lions Club who are offering a $7 hot breakfast. Local talent, including band The Advocates, will perform between 7.30am and 10am this coming Saturday, Sunday and Monday, as well as next weekend. Attendees are encouraged to park in the parliamentary triangle. King Edward Terrace will be closed from Parkes Place East to Parkes Place West from 5.45am to about 9.45am each day of the event.

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