On the eve of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the Oxford's Sixth Annual Balloon Fiesta will take place on May 10-11, 2003, in Oxford, Great Britain.  

A St. Petersburg team, representing Russia at this festival, will pilot the Baltika Brewery's dirigible. The team is headed by the president of the Russian Aeronautic Club, Master of Aeronautics Gennady Oparin.  

The only dirigible participating in the Fiesta and representing the city of St. Petersburg, the informal north capital of Russia, will carry St. Petersburg's flag through the sky during an exclusive flight over Oxford, the famous center of world science, culture and education.  

The Baltika Brewery's dirigible, which is the only thermal one in Russia, is from Bristol, Great Britain, where the Baltika Brewery bought it in 2000 from Cameron Balloons, the world's leading airship manufacturer. This is a two-seat thermal dirigible Cameron Balloons T&C AS 120 Marc II.  

Since then the unique airship was seen hovering in the sky over many places of Russia, including Moscow's Red Square and such cities as Samara, Sochi, and, of course, St. Petersburg. The dirigible took part in many international festivals, including the well-known Chateau D'oex Balloon Fiesta in Switzerland.  

Launching balloons and dirigibles is one of the most popular and prestigious sports in England. Going in for the aeronautical sport is now also gaining popularity in Russia. Today Russians can frequently see an exciting picture of a balloon flying in the sky during public holidays and festivals. After the Oxford's Sixth Annual Balloon Fiesta is over and the Baltika Brewery's dirigible is checked out, it will be launched to hover in the sky of St. Petersburg in the festive days of the city's 300-year jubilee.