THE DATES for the popular Oswestry Balloon Carnival for this year have been confirmed.

The Balloon Festival will take place on Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20, and will bring a fun family day out while also raising money for Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham.

Set in the award winning Cae Glas Park, the event is open to all ages, with lots of fun activities for all groups.

The fundraising event is taking place with the help of Oswestry Town Council, Spirit Operations and supported by Oswestry BID, and although the event is free there will be an optional £1 donation to the Hhspice.

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The successful carnival brought together over 9,500 people in 2022, but there was also controversy over admissions and long queues, and now talks about keeping visitors safe and happy are under way.

Town mayor, Councillor Jay Moore, said that the safety of the visitors is Oswestry’s Town Council top priority.

He continued: ”Realistically the spaces in the park are limited, and our main objective is to keep everyone safe.

“Unfortunately, that means that we can’t leave the park gates open for people to walk in and out freely, so together with the organisers we are trying to come up with the best possible solution.”

He added: “We can’t change the park regulations of how many people can enter at once, so we will work around them, but safety is a priority for us.”

Last year due to the park’s maximum capacity number, some people that came later had to join a queue, which eyewitnesses at the time believed that about 200 people were in it already.

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“I am advising everyone to get there as early as possible” Mayor Moore said.

"As tickets will be limited this will be the best way for visitors to avoid disappointment.”

More details on the measures taken this year to be announced soon.