A power outage in Saanich cut out a big chunk of Super Bowl coverage for residents living near the Pat Bay Highway and Quadra Street on Sunday.

Just after 4 p.m., the electricity to nearly 2,000 customers went out, meaning anyone in front of their television sets would have had a blackout in the middle of the first half of the most-watched U.S. football game of the year. They also missed the halftime show, which starred Madonna.

The cause was unusual — almost festive.

B.C. Hydro said some balloons filled with helium got stuck on the power lines, causing the outage.

“I guess somebody let go of some balloons,” said B.C. Hydro spokesman Ted Olynyk, who could not say how often power outages of this sort occur.

Electricity was restored by 5:40 p.m., according to B.C. Hydro’s website — about halfway through the third quarter.