On a couple of occasions, driving past the Bristol area on my way home or off to a work event, I’ve spotted lots of air balloons filling my panoramic vista. Quite a sight, I thought. So I looked it up and found a guide. The Bristol Balloon Fiesta has taken place annually and is now in its 42nd year. Why has it taken me this long to spot it?
My wife and I decided to take a break in Bristol. Although I’ve visited numerous times with work, she had never been. We set off on day one of the Fiesta and, having parked up and bags dropped off at the hotel, we walked into town, had lunch and then a bus ride to Ashton Court to enter at Gate 7.
This was all well and good as a plan, but let me tell you, it was hot! We chose one of the hottest weekends on record, I think, with temperatures soaring in the 32 to 35 degrees range. So, we tried to cut down on walking. Once we arrived at the main arena, we were more concerned about finding a tree to sit under in the shade.
Eventually, after a couple of short walks from tree to tree, we found a nice spot overlooking the Bristol Balloon Fiesta main arena and in the shade of a copse behind us. Out with the camera and a long lens fitted, I zoomed in on some of the action unfolding in front of us.
What I think is fantastic about the Fiesta is that it is free. You can pay to park, but if you turn up on foot, bike, skateboard or scooter, it’s free entry. Families and groups of friends had come well-prepared with folding chairs, rugs, picnics, and some with an abundance of booze. With the weather the way it was, why not make the most of it? There were also plenty of food outlets to choose from.
We waited for the expected ascent at 6pm, but the weather conditions were just not right for the balloonists. The red smoke signal let us all know there would be no flying that evening. In fact, there were no flights on any of the evenings through the weekend; just early morning ascents. It was to do with the hot air of the ground mixing with cooler air above that caused a swirling wind – like a shore wind, so the commentator informed us.
Many of the balloons were inflated and tethered, but even that proved too difficult for some and they had to be deflated and packed away.
Despite all of this, we were promised a ‘Nightglow’ at 9pm. So my wife and I used the slightly cooler evening time to walk around the stalls, get some food and drinks and settle into a place with a good view of the arena.
Sure enough, 9pm came and, as promised, the balloons were once again inflated. Lots of them this time. I wondered how much it costs to fill a typical balloon, especially with the price of gas nowadays.
Radio Bristol boomed out the rock music for the Fiesta, lights beamed over the arena and with hot air a-plenty, the balloons stood upright. On the countdown, they all lit their flames in time to the music. With the darkened skies, this was pretty spectacular. We were so glad we stayed.
At the end of the show, we headed off. What wasn’t so good was that the bus services had all stopped. We had to walk back to our hotel. It took an hour and a quarter, with the temperature still in the high twenties. With hundreds of people caught out, at least we had safety in numbers. There were a few shops that stayed open, so people could pop in and get drinks and snacks.
It was a great afternoon and evening and thoroughly recommended.
