Shocking footage shows a hot air balloon lifting off from the ground ... with tourists slammed into Turkey's famed 'Fairy Chimney' rock formations after a freak gust of wind in June last year.

Head to Colorado Springs for the Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Compared to some of the other festivals on this list, the Colorado hot air balloon ...

You tilt your head back to watch them lift off the ground and fill the sky with a rainbow of colors. They're floating away. Floating away? But how? Did you ever wonder why hot air balloons float?