The balloon has been filled with a special gel at the rate of six teaspoons full each week - with the healthy skin and hair stretching around it.

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The weeklong festivities include fireworks and concerts and showcase all manner of dazzling displays, from a special shape rodeo to lighted nighttime " balloon glows, " but the climax is the handful of spectacular mass ascensions in which all participants take to the sky in two waves.

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In that time, the balloon films have undergone a process of evolution, taking in popular crazes such as bungee jumping or special times of the year such as Christmas.

BBC: balloon logo