Moscow Balloon Festival 2021

Clash of the Titans in Moscow

The Moscow Balloon Festival is back! Expertly organised by Europa Uno Trade, the 21st anniversary of this wonderful festival took place on September 20-24. It was certainly one of the highlights of our year.

With 150 participants in 20 teams (7 of them sponsored by Gemar), this was a wonderful opportunity for those of us who have missed human contact over the past few months. Participants were able to laugh with each other once again, sharing their joy and passion as well as swapping tips, inspiration and innovative techniques.

Not only that, the festival also had over 500 visitors, spread over 4 days. The atmosphere was wonderful as the air filled with happy voices once again. Everyone enjoyed attending workshops and discovering more about the new products on the market. Of course the Gemar Shiny Range was as popular as ever but perhaps this time it was pushed off the number one spot by our newcomers, The Natural Collection. Everyone admired the stunning new shades, misty rose and olive green, which were displayed beautifully by Irina Lobanova. We saw Gemar balloons popping up in quite a few sculptures, even the teams we didn’t sponsor made full use of the beautiful new colours.

No balloon festival would be complete without a competition and this year’s participants had a bit of a battle on their hands! The 20 teams were all very skilled and worthy competitors, three of them being led by Gemar Ambassadors Irina Gvozdenko (leading her own team for the first time), Irina Lobanova, Ran Nitka and Denis Gartsbein. It’s fair to say that the competition was fierce!

We loved seeing the innovation and creativity that these balloon artists bring to their craft. From small bouquets that anyone would be thrilled to receive, to wearable art and huge sculptures (as much as 4m tall!). Every balloon is carefully placed and every inch tells a story. In fact, the story goes beyond balloons. Olga’s outfit was designed by Giada Curti, a wonderful Italian designer whose beautiful work can be found in this year’s Gemar calendar. Look out for more from Giada in the 2022 calendar as well!

Of course, not everything runs smoothly. Denis and Ran put in a lot of work planning and preparing their team, Planeta Sharov, but were sadly unable to attend in person due to a visa issue. Of course they were very much missed but their team pulled together and did very well without them, winning the Big Sculpture contest. We would also like to send condolences to Angelina, captain of the Shershe la Shar team, who had to pull out following a family bereavement.

Even when things go wrong, the Gemar Spirit is there to lift the moment and carry on with a smile. Since nobody from outside Russia could attend in person, Gloria was there virtually instead. She joined via video link to present the “Creating Inspiration” award to Irina Lobanova and Irina Gvozdenko, and the Gemar Prize to Premium Shar for their creative & poetic sculpture.

Even after the glittering award ceremony was over, Irina Lobanova and Irina Gvozdenko continued to lift the moment by hosting balloon lessons for all the participants the Friday.

Huge congratulations go to every single participant, to all the award winners, to our Ambassadors for their hard work and support, and to Gregory, Olga and the whole team at EUT. You all deserve our thanks for making this a spectacular event that we look forward to each year.

See you in 2022!

PartyWorldwide article: click here!

Gemar Winners:
NOMINATION “BIG SCULPTURE” – league of masters
1st place – Planeta Sharov – ( the team which would have been led by Denis and Ran)
NOMINATION “LARGE SCULPTURE “- professional league (junior)
1st place – Pirate
NOMINATION “BALLOON dress”
2nd place – Strange people – (led by Irina Gvozdenko)
3rd place – Golden hands – (led by Irina Lobanova)
NOMINATION “CRAFT BOUQUET”
2nd place – Planeta Sharov – ( the team which would have been led by Denis and Ran)
3rd place – Golden Hands – (led by Irina Lobanova)
NOMINATION “12 MINUTES”
2nd place – Premium Shar
3rd place – Strange People – (led by Irina Gvozdenko)
NOMINATION “BLACK BOX”
1st place – Planeta Sharov – ( the team which would have been led by Denis and Ran)
viewer PRIZE – Sharomans
GRAND PRIX – Planeta Sharov – ( the team which would have been led by Denis and Ran)