Up Up & Away Florida and Vitae partner to organize the largest balloon festival in the state of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2019

St. Petersburg, FL — Up Up and Away Florida and Vitae Sports & Entertainment partner to organize the largest balloon festival in the state of Florida. From February 28 – March 1, 2020, the first annual Up Up and Away Florida Hot Air Balloon Festival will transform the Lakeland skyline into a mix of bright, brilliant colors as the balloons launch from the Sun n’ Fun Expo Campus.

Vitae will oversee sponsorships, public relations, and community initiatives for the inaugural hot air balloon festival. This three-day festival will take-off a weekend featuring balloon launches, tethered rides, picturesque balloon glows, various food and beverage options, arts and crafts vendors, helicopter rides, skydivers, live music, and fun for the entire family.

“We are excited to build a tradition of ballooning here in city of Lakeland,” said Ron Clukey, Executive Director of Up Up and Away Florida. “Vitae’s work in supporting these kinds of niche events that benefit the community will help us achieve the goal we've only imagined."

Sun N’ Fun Expo Campus is home to the second largest aviation event in North America. With anticipation for up to 40 balloon pilots gathered from across the United States, Up Up and Away Florida would be the largest balloon rally planned in the state of Florida to date. The weekend’s attendance is expected to be in excess of 45,000.

“This event will attract attendees from along the I-4 corridor and across the state, making Lakeland a geographically ideal location for a hot air balloon festival,” said Chris Antonious, President of Vitae Sports & Entertainment. “Ron’s shared ambition to put on an event for the community gets me excited in focusing our efforts in putting together one of the most memorable events in Central Florida.”

For more information about Up Up and Away Florida, please visit www.upupandawayflorida.com. If you have any questions or would like more information about this press release, please contact info@vitaese.com.

About:

Up Up and Away Florida

Up Up and Away Florida is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Hot Air Balloon and Music Festival that is dedicated to producing a family oriented, high quality event that offers other local nonprofits an opportunity to assist in the operations of the Festival. It is an educational and community exposition for the citizens and visitors of Florida which fosters pride, education, growth, and prosperity. Our objective is to offer the participating nonprofit agencies an opportunity to raise funds and awareness for their programs and services, thus enhancing the quality of life for all of us. These organizations participate in the festival in two ways: 1) service provider and 2) nonprofit vendor.

Vitae Sports & Entertainment

Vitae Sports & Entertainment (VSE) is a reimagined sports and entertainment group. Established in 2018, VSE was built on a belief that sports and events bring out the potential in our communities. With our superior work and footprint rapidly growing, we are serving events coast-to-coast from three regional locations: Arizona, Florida, and New York. We aren't just storytellers; we are game changers. Together, we can change the world through the power of sports and events.