Concertgoers at a
festival in the Dutch city of Lichtenvoorde were
treated to an unusual sight Friday: a pink hot air balloon
127 feet high, shaped exactly like a condom, drifting
lazily across the sky.
The balloon,
bearing the words ''Vrij Veilig''--Dutch for ''Safe
Sex''--was launched by the public health service
in the eastern district of Gelre-Ijssel, near the
German border.
The director of
the health service, known by its Dutch acronym GGD, said
the festival was an ideal opportunity to reach young people.
More than 80,000 were expected to attend the three-day
Zwarte Cross event--a combination motocross race
and hard rock concert, with Dutch gothic metal band
Within Temptation headlining.
''This is a
playful way of asking for attention to the problem of
sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and AIDS,'' said Laurent
de Vries.
Nurses on the
concert grounds also handed out educational material and
free condoms as part of the campaign, he said. (AP)