A tethered hot air balloon will add to the atmosphere at Glow in the Park at Tinwald later this month.

Methven’s Graeme Church from Adventure Balloons will be inflating a hot air balloon on the Saturday night of the three-night lighting event, which is being held to celebrate 100 years of EA Networks providing power to the district.

Ashburton District Council is partnering with the electricity lines company to host the activity, which will feature a trail of special effects light installations around the Tinwald Domain and the Plains Vintage and Railway Museum.

The show will run on 22, 23 and 24 July, beginning at 5.30pm.

Council Community Services Group Manager Steve Fabish said there was high excitement about the event, which was supposed to have been held last year but was postponed by covid.

“We’re hoping to see hundreds of families walking around the open space at Tinwald and enjoying some pretty special lighting effects.

“The hot air balloon, on Saturday, will bring a different sort of glow and we’re thrilled to add Adventure Balloons to the line-up.”

The trail of lights will include interactive displays and there will be places for selfies.

Information panels will also tell EA Networks’ story, from its beginnings as the Ashburton Electric Power Board to the present day as a provider of electricity lines and fibre-optic cables for internet.

Food trucks will also be onsite.

Mr Fabish said that the event was timed to coincide with the last weekend of the July school holidays and with a start time of 5.30pm, it would be dark enough for the lights to be at their best but not too late for young children to be out and about.