Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

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Friday 8 – Sunday 10 August

The iconic Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is a free to attend, three-day event that celebrates the city and its heritage links to the remarkable world of hot air ballooning.

For the 8-10 August, the rolling hills of Ashton Court on the outskirts of the city of Bristol are home to a temporary playground of entertainment, and a stage set ready and waiting for over 100 hot air balloons to take flight.

At the heart of the experience of this unique event, is a game of chance – will these feats of engineering take flight.  In the chance that they don’t fly the Fiesta has refocussed attention to introduce multiple opportunities for visitors to still experience the magic of ballooning regardless.

In the chance that they do, visitors are given a spectacle like no other. The compact central arena becomes awash with a rainbow of colour at dawn for a peaceful morning song to awaken the city, and at dusk to mark the closing of the day and the start of evening celebrations.

On Friday and Saturday, visitors stay beyond nightfall to experience the event’s infamous Night Glows. After dark, dozens of hot air balloons inflate, and use their burners to glow in time to a soundtrack of inspiring music to bring the party atmosphere and bring the crowd of spectators to their feet.