On the concept of the festival, Samit Garg, Owner of E Factor and SkyWaltz, said: "Pushkar is a 100-year old festival. The concept of holding the hot air balloon festival at Pushkar was to give Rajasthan Tourism an opportunity to provide international tourists and domestic tourists with a spectacular visual display, while flying over temples, a lake, the desert, other landscapes, and over the cattle fair. Balloon pilots from abroad got to witness a visual extravaganza of the rich culture and festivity of Rajasthan."

At this fair, which is also the world's largest cattle fair, villagers come from various states to sell or buy cattle, horses, and camels. This year's festival was covered by the international and Indian media. The festival also presents opportunities for brands. Speaking about associations with brands at this year's festival, Garg said: "This year, we had participation from Blazer, a Swiss lubricant brand, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and a French wine company. Blazer had also booked additional tents where they invited their Indian dealers to witness the festival. We did not sell corporate sponsorships this year, but will start doing so next year."

The events included a ‘Hare & Hound' race that was held on the last day of the festival. Blazer won the first place, while Royal Challengers Bangalore came in second flown by a pilot from the Czech Republic. Garg further added: "Every night at the stadium grounds, a ‘night glow' event was held, in which balloons were inflated to the beat of the music played, which looked magnificent, while 500 Chinese lanterns were let off into the sky by kids and the general public."

Also read: SkyWaltz organises second edition of Pushkar Balloon Festival