A night glow is an event that is often held as a climax to a hot air balloon festival

Hot air balloon festivals

Hot air balloon festivals are held annually in many places throughout the year, allowing hot air balloons to gather and participate in various activities. They can include races; evening "night glows", in which balloons are fired while remaining tetheted to the ground; and rides.- External links...

. The balloons

Hot air balloon

The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...

 are set up at sunset

Sunset

Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...

 in the launch area, an open field, or a football stadium and are inflated as if they are going to take off. But instead of being allowed to ascend, they are held down by the ground crew. The propane

Propane

Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...

 burners are ignited periodically to keep the balloons inflated with hot air.

Since the event typically occurs in the dark, the balloons glow like huge light bulbs

Incandescent light bulb

The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...

 or Chinese lantern

Chinese lantern

A Chinese lantern can refer to the following:*A collapsible paper lantern or sky lantern in bright colours used for decorative purposes, commonly painted with Chinese art and calligraphy motifs.*The shrub Abutilon x hybridum...

s, giving a spectacular display for the audience. Sometimes the event is judged and sometimes it is held merely for entertainment and the celebration of ballooning.