With four- to five-knot winds on the ground before sunrise, the call was made early that conditions were right for 33 balloons to take flight.
From the grounds outside Parliament, 26 private and a few commercial aircraft - heart, helmet and dinosaur shapes among them - launched the 35thCanberra Balloon Spectacular.
Pilots and their passengers from around the country primed $55,000 to $65,000 vehicles on the Patrick White Lawns and King Edward Terrace, alongside the man who made most of them.
Sean Kavanagh, with his dad Phil, manufactures 95 per cent of the hot air balloons from their factory in Sydney, with just a few sneaking in each year from the UK and Europe.
The family business began when Phil and his university buddies decided they'd outgrown a hot air balloon they'd commandeered after it was abandoned by an Evil Knievel tour of Australia.
"Mum and Dad built a balloon for themselves and then a friend asked them to build another," Mr Kavanagh said.
"Once you've been for a balloon flight, you just want to keep going."
Born into the world of heights, Mr Kavanagh took flight this weekend with wife Indigo and sons Joss, 7, and Dylan, 5.
The boys have been for about 20 flights since they first launched around the age of two.
From basket to envelope, their balloons take from four to 12 weeks to produce, depending on the size and complexity of the artwork.
The Royal Australian Air Force's digitally printed helmet-shaped balloon, which its Central Flying School operates often in regional or remote communities, was one of the most elaborate designs in the sky on Saturday.
The Whiting family ate a porridge breakfast on the concrete pylons while they waited for the sun to come up and the launch scheduled for 7am.
Alessandra said she and husband Brendan had made it to the festival every year since they arrived in 2014, with seven-year-old Nicholas and two-year-old Theodore joining them as long as they'd been around.
The family usually makes the trip to Parliament Square before school and work several times throughout the festival.
"I love March in Canberra - it's my favourite month," Mrs Whiting said.
"It's not too cold. It's not too hot. And we have awesome events like this."
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Cameron Phasey attended the early morning launch with his two daughters and a few mates.
Having relocated 18 months ago for his job with the army, Mr Phasey said he had never seen anything like it elsewhere.
"It's fascinating," he said. "It's flight without an engine.
"The girls can get right up close and they're safe. The look in the girls' eyes is worth the early morning."
For those who missed the first launch, the chance to take in the spectacle from the sky or the lawns in front of Old Parliament House will be offered at 6.15am, weather permitting, until March 15.
Early risers will have the chance to watch Skywhale, created by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini and now part of the National Gallery of Australia collection, float across Lake Burley Griffin as part of Monday's Canberra Day celebrations.
There will be live music, coffee, Belconnen Lions Club breakfasts and a bunch of food truck options to break the fast.
