France: Reinvented Olympic balloon rises again in Paris

A giant balloon that became a popular landmark over the skies of Paris during the 2024 Olympics rose again Saturday evening as Parisians celebrated an annual street music festivalAs locals danced to live music in and around the Tuileries garden in central Paris the balloon made its return on a hot summer eveningOrganisers are hoping it will once again attract crowds of touristsDuring the Games the Olympic cauldron was tethered to the balloon flying above the Tuileries garden at sunset every day Thousands flocked to see the sevenmetre 23foot wide ring of electric fireLast summers version had been thought up to last for the length of the Olympic and Paralympic Games said Mathieu Lehanneur the designer of the cauldronAfter President Emmanuel Macron decided to bring it back all of the technical aspects needed to be reviewed he told AFP on ThursdayLehanneur said he was very moved that the Olympic balloon was making a comebackThe worst thing would have been for this memory to become a sitting relic that couldnt fly anymore he said Make the flames dance The balloons return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14 a summer staple every year until the 2028 Los Angeles GamesFor its revival we needed to make sure it changed as little as possible and that everything that did change was not visible said LehanneurWith a decarbonated fire patented by French energy giant EDF the upgraded balloon follows the same technical principles as its previous version said director of innovation at EDF Julien VilleretThe improved attraction will last ten times longer and be able to function for 300 days instead of 30 according to VilleretThe creators of the balloon also reinforced the lightandmist system that makes the flames dance he saidUnder the cauldron a machine room hides cables a compressor and a hydroelectric winchThat system will hold back the helium balloon when it rises and pull it down during descent said Jerome Giacomoni president of the Aerophile group that constructed the balloonFilled with 6200 cubic meters of helium that is lighter than air the Olympic balloon will be able to lift around three tonnes of cauldron cables and attached parts he saidThe Tuileries garden is where French inventor Jacques Charles took flight in his first gas balloon on December 1 1783He followed in the footsteps of the famed Montgolfier brothers who had just nine days earlier elsewhere in Paris managed to launch a similar balloon into the sky with humans onboardThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever