Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

About

Europe's biggest hot air balloon event

The spectacular free event will once again feature over 100 hot air balloons taking off at dawn and dusk as well as the famous Night Glows, when the balloons light up the sky in time to a soundtrack provided by BBC Radio Bristol followed by an exciting firework display.

The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is Europe's largest annual meeting of hot air balloons, attracting over 130 hot air balloons from across the globe. It's a sight that can only be seen in Bristol.

Alongside the fantastic sight of hot air balloons filling the skies, visitors can also expect entertainment for all the family, throughout the day including aerial displays, children’s activities and entertainment, fairground rides, delicious food stalls and bars, balloon tethering and demonstrations, model aircraft displays and a local music stage.

Costa Coffee will return with their Summer experience ‘A Coffee With’, where alongside grabbing a hot or cold drink from one of their Costa Express machines, you can meet pilots, explore inside inflated hot air balloons and catch storytelling and crafts for all the family.

The Costa Coffee team will also be fuelling the pilots ahead of their flights and helping to bring last year’s incredibly popular community flights back for a second year. Bristolians will be able to nominate locations for pre-fiesta balloon lifts from their local parks, school grounds and open spaces, bringing colourful hot air balloons to the skies across Bristol.​​​

When and where?

Held over four days at Ashton Court Estate, the event is completely free with charges made for parking on the event site. 

> Read our mini guide on how to get to the Fiesta

The fiesta begins on Thursday at midday with hot air balloons tethered throughout the afternoon and in the evening the first mass ascent takes place with a firework finale!

On day two on Friday there will be two hot air balloon lifts and an afternoon of balloon tethering.

Day three is Saturday and there will be more mass hot air balloon lifts and firework finales and the arena entertainment will run from midday to 5pm.

The fiesta's final day on Sunday is another day full of mass balloon lifts and fun in the arena, with a programme running from midday to 5pm.

> Parking near the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Water refills

There will be various ‘refill stations’ located around the Fiesta site at Ashton Court, allowing people to refill water bottles, with the aim of reducing plastic waste. Additionally, complimentary refillable sports bottles will be available from the refill stations to anyone that forgets their bottles to use over the weekend.

Book a hot air balloon trip

Fly up, up and away in your beautiful hot air balloon in Bristol. Whether you choose to fly at the Balloon Fiesta or another time, Bristol's ballooning companies; Bailey Balloons, Bristol Balloons, and Elite Air (UK) Ltd run flights throughout the season. Choose from dawn flights or sunset flights to watch the sun rise or set in glorious colour.

Sky Lounge

Tickets are on-sale now for the Sky Lounge, abrand-new private enclosure which will ensure guests get up close to the action in the ballooning arena. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday morning (5.30 – 9.30am) are priced at £15 per person (£10 for children under 16), which include a delicious breakfast roll. Daytime tickets on Saturday and Sunday (12 – 7pm) are £20 per person (£15 for children under 16) and will provide the perfect base for exploring the event and watching the 6pm mass ascent from a great vantage point. Sky Lounge Nightglow ticketsfor Thursday and Saturday are available from 8.30pm – midnight priced at £30 per person. A prime location to soak up the atmosphere of the Nightglow from a private terrace, these tickets also include a free drink on arrival as well as entertainment from legendary Bristol DJ collective, Terrace Soul.  Find out more

Community launches

Following the hugely popular Fiesta Fortnight in 2021, Bristol locals will once again be able to nominate the locations where they would like to see balloons lift off, which could be anywhere from local parks to public spaces, car parks or streets. Locations will be revealed closer to the morning of the ascents. 

To find out the final list of locations, residents should stay tuned in to the Fiesta Fortnight’s social media channels, which will include regular updates on all locations and timings to help plan when to head outside to view the balloons flying over the city. Find out more

How to get to the Balloon Fiesta

By Train

The closest train station to the Fiesta is Bristol Temple Meads, served by our travel partner GWR. From the station visitors can pick up the Fiesta Shuttle Bus service operated by First Bus to get to the event site. 
For further information on travelling to Bristol Temple Meads with GWR visit their website.
 
By Bicycle

Those wishing to cycle can take ‘Festival Way’ a traffic-free path connecting the city to Ashton Court Estate and beyond. Starting in Bristol, you can use the National Cycling Route 33 which takes you on a traffic free path from Queen Square out of the city via Cumberland Road. Crossing the River Avon you join Kennel Lodge Road as you enter Ashton Court. There is bicycle parking available onsite by the Mansion House and by the fallow deer park.

On Foot

For those on foot, there are two main routes into the Fiesta site via Festival Way as detailed above for cyclists or via the Clifton Suspension Bridge. 

By Bus

A Balloon Shuttle bus service is operated by First Bus from Bristol Temple Meads Station and the City Centre (Metrobus Stop C2, Colston Avenue). This service is highly recommended to local residents. Tickets can be purchased on the bus and there is no need to pre book.

Buses run at least every 10 minutes from 10am each day. 

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