Giant hot air balloon shaped like a baby will rise over Milwaukee lakefront in June

Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read

As part of Make Music Milwaukee day on June 21, organizers are planning "Baby You," a public art event that will float a giant hot air balloon shaped like a baby over Veterans Park.

At sunset on that date, a locally recruited community chorus will sing while the tethered balloon is inflated and launched, according to MakeMusicDay.org, the online hub for the event.

On Make Music Milwaukee day June 21, "Baby You," a 112-foot long hot air balloon, will fly over Veterans Park as a choir sings.
On Make Music Milwaukee day June 21, "Baby You," a 112-foot long hot air balloon, will fly over Veterans Park as a choir sings.

This unusual event is a collaboration between Make Music Milwaukee and the Warsaw-based Przekrój Foundation. Belgian artist Bart Van Peel led the team that created the baby in 2022. The baby has previously been flown in Antwerp and England, but the choral accompaniment in Milwaukee will be new.

It won't be a smiling face in the sky, like the sun-infused baby that hovers over the Teletubbies in that children's TV series. The Van Peel baby is a 112-foot-long sleeping newborn made of tan fabric. "The balloon’s colors change with the light, reflecting the many hues of human skin," according to MakeMusicDay.org.

Why a baby? "Everyone was a baby once: adorable, vulnerable and full of potential," the organizers state.

The community choir will sing music by composer Michael Schachter during the launch. "The music is composed of syllables, hums and noises that express the wide range of sounds that babies make, from their heartbeat and breathing to coos and cries, which merge with the sounds of a parent’s lullaby," states MakeMusicDay.org.

Milwaukee was chosen because it was deemed a receptive community with a good physical location for the event.

Make Music Milwaukee is recruiting singers for the chorus. There will be several rehearsals in June. To find out more, visit makemusicday.org/milwaukee/baby-you-make-music-milwaukee.

Make Music Day is an international effort that celebrates playing and singing music with free public events every June 21.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Make Music Milwaukee to launch giant baby hot air balloon at lakefront