Up, up and bouquet! Giant flower balloon lifts Medellin’s festival spirit

A 14-metre-tall hot air balloon made entirely of flowers is turning heads at the Santafé Shopping Centre in Medellín, Colombia.

The giant sculpture sits on the world’s biggest living flower carpet – a 15th annual display built from 25,000 plants and more than 200,000 petunias and marigolds, all grown in the nearby Antioquia region.

The colourful creation is a star attraction ahead of Medellín’s Flower Festival on 1 August. Last year’s carpet drew 2.8 million visitors, and organisers expect even bigger crowds this summer.

Maria Fernanda Bertel, general manager of Santafé Shopping Centre, said the floral showpiece was the biggest and most spectacular yet.

“We have this grand, majestic, and emblematic flower carpet, the largest living carpet in both Colombia and the world, which will be on display for 48 days in the Medellín plaza,” she added.