Art floats to the skies at festival - 10th August 2026

The 10th anniversary Cantoya Fest saw in excess of 250 enormous, brightly coloured, tissue-paper balloons launched into the skies above Michoacán in Mexico. Held in the city of Pátzcuaro, the event drew crowds of over 20,000 visitors to witness this unique artisanal craft in action.

Named 'cantoya' in honour of the self-taught aeronaut Don Joaquín de la Cantolla y Rico, the highly decorative lanterns date from the 19th century. De la Cantolla pioneered hot-air balloon construction in Mexico, flew balloons at exhibitions and celebrations, and fashioned toy replicas from newspaper and alcohol wick burners.

An instant hit, artisans began crafting cantoyas for local festivals and, before long, balloon-making competitions began springing up. Cantoya Fest brings master balloon makers together, showcasing their talents, to the delight of members of its organising committee like Raúl Dionisio Cortés.

Raúl Dionisio Cortés: "The significance of creating a work of art using a paper balloon is something that only balloon makers can truly appreciate."

Including both local teams and 100 national teams, this year's festival featured 17 invited guests from Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, France and Italy, who joined in their efforts. Despite the competitive element, it's a good-natured event offering mutual support, according to Jorge Alberto Belmont, a judge for the competition.

Jorge Alberto Belmont: "It's a 100 percent family-friendly event that brings people together. It's really lovely. For us, it's a traditional toy, but that traditional toy brings families and friends together. Even though there's a competition among the balloon groups, everyone comes together to support one another and get their balloons to fly."

Anchoring this year's edition was the motto "where dreams take flight", which inspired designs that brought joy to the faces of the crowds of onlookers in Pátzcuaro as they floated into the sky. This is, perhaps, fitting for a city whose original name in the local P'urhépecha culture means 'place of happiness'.