First time in history: hot air balloons under the Space Needle

Well that was… anticlimactic. We went to check out the hot air balloons at Seattle Center, along with a surging bridge-and-tunnel crowd. I thought the balloons would be illuminated like the pretty WildLanterns at the zoo; Paul thought they would fly. They did neither. Instead, the balloons just went hiss! and pooof! every once in a while, lighting up for a split second. Do not be fooled by the photos, it was a profoundly boring non-event. We left quickly. On our way out, we noticed that the lighting at McCaw Hall and Seattle Opera was prettier than these balloons.