Hot Air Balloon Festival

Commonly called the Taunggyi Tazaungdaing Festival, this is the most spectacular event (and one of the most popular with tourists) of the year.  Held annually in Taunggyi, the Shan State Capital, thousands of locals and international tourists visit the hilltop city to watch scores of hot air balloons as well as lanterns and giant paper animals being inflated and float up into the skies.