Tauranga hosts glowing air balloons

Hot-air balloons will be seen in the sky over Tauranga this weekend.

Glowing hot-air balloons will light up the sky over Tauranga Racecourse for the first time on Friday night.

The Ignite Hot Air Balloon show will just be half of the spectacle, with a laser light show stunning the crowds afterwards.

Thousands of tickets have already sold - 70 per cent of the venue's capacity.

Event director Stephen Spargo said the response from Tauranga had been great and encouraging for the future, with the possibility of it becoming an annual event.

"As long as we get the interest from the Tauranga public we'll run it annually," Mr Spargo said.

More than 10,000 people had expressed an interest in attending the hot-air balloon show on the Facebook event page but the venue could only hold a maximum of about 4000 people. "It's really touch or go if we sell out but it looks like we will," Mr Spargo said.

About 8pm - right on dusk - the balloons will rise into the sky, glowing with light.

They will stay up for about 25 minutes before the Star Wars-themed laser light show starts.

Tauranga is the first city to host the Ignite Air Balloon show, with a similar event planned for Taupo later in the year.

"Sometimes you're better off to come to a smaller city where you're not competing against hundreds of other events and you can do something really nice that will be really appreciated," Mr Spargo said.

Tickets cost $15, or $30 for a carload of up to five people.

The event is being run in conjunction with the Motorhome and Leisure Show.