Meet the team behind the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

BBC News

06-08-2025

The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta has been drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators to the city since 1979. From its mass ascents, nightglows and activities, the event at Ashton Court Estate appears seamless every year. But it is all thanks to the thousands of people working tirelessly behind the scenes throughout the year to deliver the beloved fiesta.
"It's a 12-month process each year. No sooner than we've finished a fiesta, then we've debriefed it and we're starting to plan the next year," said Ben Hardy, the event's executive director.
Mr Hardy has led the team, which exceeds 2,000 members by the time the annual event returns, for about four years. "Fundamentally, we're trying to take a field and turn it into a small town for the weekend," he said.Cissy Badley is the production and operations lead, responsible for managing the event team on site. Her "varied" role involves managing those working in production, working alongside the site manager and dealing with traders, exhibitors, contractors and sponsors.
"I am a Bristolian, so working on something like the fiesta - which is obviously iconic for the city and means a lot to the culture - that in turn means a lot to me," Ms Badley said. "It's great to be part of that and it's great to see the impact we can have on the communities and the city as a whole," she added.
Pete Dalby is a volunteer board director and part of the flying committee. His roles involve overseeing all ballooning activity and making the crucial decision of whether pilots can fly.In previous years, both spectators and the team behind the fiesta have faced disappointment due to the weather conditions prohibiting pilots from taking to the skies.
Mr Dalby said: "We only cancel flights for very good reasons because we all want to go flying."We need light winds, we need no rain, it needs to be a stable atmosphere and we need to know the direction that the wind is likely to take us as well. "We also need good visibility - it's no good sending all the balloons off into low cloud because then they'll start bumping into each other and they can't see where they're going. "We've got to take all those things into consideration," he added.
Watching the forecast is also "the most stressful part" for Ian Martin, the choreographer and director of the Nightglow event.The spectacle, where balloons tethered to the ground glow in time to music, began in 1997. Mr Martin took over the role about 16 years ago. "I always say that balloonists are showmen," he said."We like to show off, we like to show the balloons, we like to entertain and we're proud of that. "Nightglows are a great way for us to create a greater interest in ballooning and the fiesta itself."
For Mr Martin, his involvement in the fiesta comes later in the planning stages. After he receives a tracklist from BBC Radio Bristol about three weeks prior to the fiesta, he spends many hours planning the choreography. He explains that no rehearsal takes place for the nightglow - the team just get one opportunity on the night.To prepare, Mr Martin "envisages" what the balloons will look like when glowing to the music. But he also has to consider practical aspects by allowing frequent moments for the balloons to cool and release hot air.
On the night, the pilots wear headphones to listen to the track and Mr Martin's directions. "There's quite a lot of stress and there's quite a lot of anticipation and worry. Luckily, I'm not a person that stresses easily, so when the pressure is on and something goes wrong - a balloon suddenly can't inflate and it's flopping about on the floor and the pilot's up there probably getting really stressed - I just call on the radio and say 'take your time'."Once we hit the button, we're running and there's nothing I can do about it," Mr Martin said.
When the fiesta returns for its 47th edition on Friday, the efforts of the team will be on display for tens of thousands of spectators to enjoy. For executive director Mr Hardy, "it's unlike any other event you can put on". "There's just something magical about it."