This time, all the hot air wasn’t in the Knesset.

During Sukkot, three hot air balloon festivals filled the skies of Israel.

Hundreds of ballooning aficionados and people simply interested in seeing the country from a different perspective — hundreds of feet in the air — flocked to three separate sites: The Timna Valley National Park near Eilat, above; the Ma’ayan Harod National Park in the northern Jezreel Valley; and Park Eshkol in the northern Negev.

Balloonists from England, Germany, Belgium and Russia took part.

The international gathering, which is increasingly popular in Israel, included workshops and movie screenings, concerts and tours, arts and craft activities, kids shows and evening light shows.

As part of Harod National Park’s family festival, a joint Israeli-U.S. team launched a balloon that is expected to travel to five continents in 80 days.