The 28th Edition of the International Hot Air Balloon Festival (FIBAQ) will take place between November 8th and 13th, 2025 in different regions of Alto Alentejo.
In the 2025 edition, you will have the following activities available:
Free Flights in Hot Air Balloons
Captive Flight Baptisms
Night Glow Show
For anyone who wants to observe the skies covered in colorful balloons or watch their takeoff and/or Night Glow show, no registration is necessary, just show up on the day, time and place scheduled according to the FIBAQ schedule available at www.fibaq.com.
Frequently Asked Questions?
1. Differences between Free Flight and Captive Flight in a Hot Air Balloon
Free Flight
A free flight in a hot air balloon is the “classic” way to fly in this type of aircraft.
The balloon is not attached to the ground and moves according to the direction and speed of the wind.
It allows you to travel several kilometers, providing a complete panoramic experience.
- Access to these flights will be through registration on the automatic booking platform Pulseiras Solidárias
Captive Flight
The balloon is fixed to the ground.
Altitude is limited, allowing only controlled ascents and descents.
It doesn’t cover a significant horizontal distance, making it ideal for those who want to experience flight without leaving the same location.
- It usually only takes a few minutes per climb, making it faster and safer for children.
- Allows you to feel the experience of flying
- Access to these captive flights will be through registration on the automatic booking platform Voos Cativos
2. How can I take a Free Flight during the 28th Edition of FIBAQ?
Free flights are available upon purchase of a Solidarity Bracelet, soon available at www.fibaq.com – Solidarity Bracelets Section.
3. What do you need to know before purchasing a Solidarity Bracelet?
Health Conditions and Fitness to Fly
Before registering, the participant must ensure that he/she is not in any of the following conditions:
- Gravidez;
- Being a minor;
- Heart problems;
- Bone problems (such as osteoporosis or similar);
- Epilepsy;
- Serious mental illnesses (such as schizophrenia or similar);
- Having recently undergone invasive treatments (such as chemotherapy or similar);
- Have recently undergone surgery;
- Need to use walking sticks or similar support devices;
- Under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances;
- Reduced mobility.
The organization and/or pilots are sovereign in assessing the physical and psychological conditions of participants and may, at any time, decide whether or not the passenger is fit to carry out the flight safely, including at the time of the activity.
NOTES:
- The organization is not responsible for any situation resulting from the omission of this information.
- Please note that hot air balloon flight is an activity with increased risk, dependent on weather conditions and technical factors, and unforeseen circumstances may occur that result in delays, changes or incidents.
Value of the Donation of Solidarity Bracelets
Solidarity Bracelets have a fixed donation value associated with them, as shown in the table below:
Flights from November 8, 2025: €99 per wristband;
Flights from November 9, 2025: €99 per wristband;
Flights from November 10, 2025: €75 per wristband;
Flights from November 12, 2025: €75 per wristband;
Flight from November 13, 2025: €75 per wristband.
The donation amount goes to several local associations and institutions, including the Volunteer Fire Departments of the participating locations.
Passenger Distribution
The distribution of passengers among the balloons, on the day of the flight, will be determined exclusively by the organization, taking into account the capacity, technical conditions and balance needs of each aircraft.
For this reason, it may be necessary to assign passengers with different weights or, in certain situations, limit the occupancy of a balloon to a single participant.
The organization does not guarantee that participants will be able to take the flight accompanied by the people they registered with.
The participant’s refusal to accept the assigned distribution and boarding conditions will result in the loss of the right to the flight, with no guaranteed space on another balloon and no right to any refund or compensation.
Behavior and Safety Instructions
After distribution, passengers must remain attentive and fully comply with all instructions given by the pilots and/or their respective teams, before, during and after the flight.
Failure to follow the instructions may result in exclusion from the activity or interruption of the flight, without the right to refund or compensation.
If, at any time, it is detected that the participant is not in full physical, behavioral or psychological condition to carry out the activity, the organization or the pilots may sovereignly decide not to allow their participation, which may result in the loss of access to the solidarity bracelet and the right to any refund.
Punctuality and Attendance
The participant must appear at the meeting point location at the time indicated and stipulated in the respective reservation.
Delays in attendance may result in the inability to participate in the hot air balloon flight, in which case access to the solidarity bracelet will not be guaranteed nor will the right to a refund of the donation made be granted.
Failure to appear at the designated time and place will also result in the loss of the right to the solidarity bracelet and the refund of the donation.
Weather Conditions
As hot air balloons are completely dependent on weather conditions (namely the absence of moderate or strong winds, rain, forecast of rain, fog or low clouds), all FIBAQ 2025 flights and activities may be cancelled up until the time of their launch if the weather is unfavorable.
Weather conditions are constantly assessed by the event’s Technical Director, who makes the final decision on whether to cancel or maintain activities whenever safety issues are at stake.
All pilots have the sole discretion in their individual decision to carry out a flight or not; however, whenever the Technical Director determines the cancellation of a flight, no passenger may board any balloon that, on its own initiative, chooses to take off, thus prohibiting the participation of passengers on these flights.
Even if the event’s Technical Director authorizes the flight, each pilot retains complete autonomy in their individual decision to take off or not, and may, for safety reasons, opt out. In these circumstances, there may not be enough seats for all passengers present.
In this case, the solidarity bracelets will not be valid for other flights during FIBAQ 2025 and the compensation measures provided for in the section “Cancellations due to weather and/or security reasons” will be applied.
4. How do I register for a Solidarity Bracelet?
Registration Process – Solidarity Bracelets
When registration for Solidarity Bracelets opens, participants will have access to the various flights scheduled for FIBAQ 2025. They must select the desired flight and follow the steps below:
Filling in First and Last Name;
- Filling in the NIF or ID Number (if you are a foreign citizen without a Portuguese NIF);
Filling in email address;
Filling in telephone contact information;
Age indication (registration of minors is not permitted);
Weight indication;
- Indication of an emergency telephone contact;
If you wish to issue a donation invoice, you must provide the respective billing details (Name and VAT).
After completing the form, you must pay the donation using one of the payment methods available on the platform.
After submitting your registration and paying the donation, you will receive an email confirming your reservation, in which you must validate your email address.
This validation is mandatory, as only after email confirmation will it be possible to receive all communication regarding your flight and your solidarity bracelet reservation.
Important Information:
Solidarity Bracelets are limited to existing spaces;
The only valid form of purchase is through the official “Pulseiras Solidárias” booking platform — booking requests by email or telephone will not be considered valid;
Registrations must be made individually, with access to the flight granted exclusively to the passenger whose details appear on the registration form;
It is not possible to change personal registration data at any time (even in cases of errors when entering personal data at the time of registration);
Only one registration per person is allowed during the event, even if on different flights.
If your registration is validated, and provided that you fully meet all the requirements established in these Terms & Conditions, the reservation will be confirmed by sending a confirmation email.
If any of the steps or conditions established are not met, the organization reserves the right to cancel the registration, and it will not be possible to reactivate it at any time.
5. Free Flight Cancellations
There are three possible types of cancellations:
For non-compliance with the Terms & Conditions;
At the participant’s request;
For meteorological and/or safety reasons.
For non-compliance with the Terms & Conditions:
The reservation may be canceled in the following cases:
If registration was not made in accordance with the Terms and Conditions available at www.fibaq.com and accepted at the time of registration, even after the confirmation email has been sent.
In case of cancellation, the reservation cannot be reactivated. The only way to obtain a new reservation is through a new registration, subject to availability on the reservation platform at www.fibaq.com – Solidarity Bracelets.
In the event of automatic cancellation by the organization due to non-compliance with established rules, the donation will be refunded, minus a €5.00 cancellation fee. Refunds will be issued within 10 business days.
Cancellation requests by the participant
If you wish to cancel your subscription, you must follow these steps:
- Reply to this email confirming your desire to cancel, allowing other participants to enjoy the experience;
Request cancellation at least 96 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting point time.
In case of cancellation, the reservation cannot be reactivated. The only way to obtain a new reservation is through a new registration, subject to availability.
In the event of cancellation requested by the participant, the donation will be refunded, less a €5.00 cancellation fee. Refunds will be made within a maximum of 10 business days.
If the cancellation request is not made within the established period, the right to a refund of the donation will be lost.
Flights canceled by the organization due to weather conditions
In the event of flight cancellations due to weather conditions, the solidarity bracelet will be automatically converted into a Publibalão voucher, which can be used on a group flight, outside the scope of the International Hot Air Balloon Festival (FIBAQ), in the Border region, pre-booked directly with Publibalão, through the following steps:
Please email [email protected] from November 17, 2025;
Indicate in the email the solidarity bracelet data present in the registration confirmation email (First Name, Last Name, Flight, Reference);
Suggest convenient dates for rescheduling, with the flight being booked according to Publibalão’s availability.
Important notes:
The voucher is not valid for any edition of FIBAQ;
Appointments must be made by September 1, 2026, with the voucher valid until November 1, 2026;
In case of cancellation due to weather conditions, the donation will not be refunded, this being the only possible form of compensation;
This policy does not apply in case of non-compliance with the Terms and Conditions of the event.
“Under the terms of article 17, § 1, paragraph k), of Decree-Law no. 24/2014, of February 14, participation in this activity does not confer the right to free termination, as it involves the provision of leisure services with a previously determined date and duration.”
6. Solidarity Bracelet and Participation Conditions
The solidarity bracelet, which guarantees access to the free flight, will be given exclusively to the passenger whose personal data appears on the passenger list, according to the registration form, at the meeting point, on the date and time stipulated by the FIBAQ 2025 program.
Free flights will last up to one hour, with the total activity lasting up to four hours.
It is mandatory that the participant wears appropriate and comfortable clothing and footwear to carry out the activity.
Registration is personal and non-transferable.
An identification document will be requested at the meeting point to verify correspondence with the registration data – First Name, Last Name, CPF, Document Validity and/or other information considered important
This registration is not valid for tethered flight firsts. To participate in this activity, a separate registration is required, to be completed through the dedicated registration platform, available at www.fibaq.com – Tethered Flights section.
At meeting points, there may occasionally be last-minute openings. For these situations, the organization maintains a specific queue for participants without prior registration.
If spaces become available, participants will be called on a first-come, first-served basis and boarded the hot air balloons. In these cases, donations must be made on-site, and participants must also sign the Disclaimer and Personal Data Protection Notice before boarding.
7. Terms of Responsibility, Conditions of Participation and Privacy Policy
When registering for Solidarity Bracelets and Captive Flights, the participant or legal guardian (in the case of minors) agrees and signs a Term of Responsibility, as well as the respective Terms and Conditions and Personal Data Protection Notice, which regulate their participation in FIBAQ 2025.
To access the Terms of Responsibility for participation in free flights click HERE!
To access the Personal Data Protection Notice on free flights click HERE!
8. Insurance and its nature
The event has Civil Liability insurance for Operation/Organization of Events.
Aircraft present at the event are mandatorily covered by aviation civil liability insurance, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 785/2004, with pilots being the only technically responsible for operating the aircraft.
9. Issuing a Donation Invoice
Please note that the donation invoice will be issued after the flight, in the name of Alentejo Sem Fronteiras – Clube de Balonismo, using the data provided by the participant at the time of booking.
If the data required to issue the invoice has not been provided, or is incorrect, it will be issued to the end consumer.
10. Night Glow Show
No registration is required to attend the Night Glow show, which is open to audiences of all ages.
For safety reasons, the public is requested to stay away from aircraft, ropes and vehicles used by the organization/pilots/teams during the assembly and disassembly of the balloons.
After the show begins, and always paying attention to the existing equipment, visitors can approach the balloons and enjoy up close this magical moment that lights up the Alentejo sky.
11. Event Organization and Production
Publibalão – Publicidade, Lda., NIPC 503425052, sede na Rua Eng.º Manuel Rocha, 1-B, R/C, 1700-154 Lisboa
Alentejo Without Borders – Hot Air Balloon Club, NIPC 509 643 094, headquarters at Estrada do Ribeiro da Lapa Lot 56, 7460-103 Fronteira – Portalegre