King Valley Balloon Fiesta starred Tico the Sloth, organisers delighted

The hot air balloon show took place at the Brown Brothers airfield three mornings in a row while thousands attended the night glow at Wangaratta Turf Club on Saturday.

The special feature shape was built by a Brazilian balloon manufacturer and owned by Monahan Airways Ballooning in New York.

Fiesta chairman Paul Gibbs said Tico made an impression on spectators of all ages.

"He was a great ambassador for this year's event," Mr Gibbs said. "The kids in particular were quite enchanted by him when he took off ... and flew across Brown Brothers winery. We had a little army of kids that were waving goodbye."

Mr Gibbs said Tico was an ideal choice for the fiesta - being a cute character, who could speak to different people - as well as a non-commercial figure.

Tico was first on show in a colourful line-up at the Balloon Glow on Saturday night.

The event attracted 5000 spectators from regional Victoria and Melbourne.

"We've had very positive feedback," Mr Gibbs said.

"The crowds that have come out to watch the balloons have been fantastic.

"In fact, we've had a whole camera club come up (from Melbourne) just to photograph the event."

Twelve balloons sourced from different town and cities made the journey to Wangaratta Turf Club.

"We've had three balloons come down from Canberra, and then we've had balloons from all over the state of Victoria," Mr Gibbs said.

"A lot of them have travelled a long way. We had a balloon from Natimuk, out west of Horsham."

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While the fiesta is expected to undergo further development, organisers are planning for an annual event at King Valley.

"We certainly have balloons in mind that we would like to have here in north east Victoria for the event," Mr Gibbs said.

"It's my contention that we should have a feature special shape balloon for every event."

In 2019, a giant replica of Van Gogh's head, imported from Netherlands, floated across Albury skies.

Mr Gibbs said organisers hoped to provide a bigger and better event next year.

"I think it's important that the quality of the event and the interest we offer to spectators is high," he said.

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