Latest news with #Nightglow
BBC News
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
What's happening at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta?
The annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta starts on Friday and sees the skies above the Somerset city filled with colourful hot air than 100 balloons are due to be launched as part of the fiesta with lots of other activities celebrating Bristol's ballooning history. The Bristol Balloon Fiesta - the biggest ballooning event in Europe - takes place over three days from Friday to Sunday, 8-10 free to attend and there is loads going on. Read on to find out more. What's happening at this year's fiesta? Over 100 hot air balloons are due to take part in this year's fiesta. The balloons are due to rise up in the early morning and early evening of each day of the both Friday and Saturday evenings, the special Nightglow event takes is when dozens of balloons tethered to the ground light up in time to Martin, the choreographer and director of the Nightglow event, said:"I always say that balloonists are showmen."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." Special shaped balloons are always a big feature at the fiesta, and this year visitors can expect to see balloons in the shape of Thomas the Tank Engine, Sonic the Hedgehog, Astro the Alien, Rupert the Bear and Wallace & Gromit Moon Rocket.A new addition to the festival is In The Clouds, an immersive attraction where visitors can walk inside a cold-inflated air balloon, while hearing a soundscape that replicates the experience of pilots in flight. Also on the ground there will be live music performances, arts and crafts and the Rockets Children's Motorcycle Display Team who will perform stunts and tricks. There's also model aircraft demonstrations, model hot air balloon parades and chats with hot air balloon free-to-attend event takes place at Ashton Court Estate in has a long history of hot air balloons - the first modern hot air balloon, the Bristol Belle, was created in the first Bristol International Balloon Fiesta took place in 1979. Do like hot air balloons? Are you going to the Bristol Fiesta?Let us know in the comments...
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bristol Balloon Fiesta 2025: Seven of the best places to watch event
Bristol's skyline will soon be transformed into a picture-perfect display as more than 100 hot air balloons ascend above the annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta attracts 500,000 to the three-day the main arena is in Ashton Court Estate, there are plenty of spots to enjoy the spectacle, with our hilly city boasting dozens of panoramic compiled a list of some of the best places to watch the balloons when the festival returns between 8-10 August - providing the weather conditions play ball. Ashton Court Estate Beginning with an obvious one, the best place to watch the spectacle is from the rolling hills of Ashton Court Estate, just outside the city's location homes the event's main arena, based in the west of the city. It is where the balloons take off for the mass ascents and where the world-famous Nightglow will be ascents are scheduled to take place at dusk and dawn, with the first one planned at 06:00 BST on 8 August. Clifton Observatory Another popular choice, this historic windmill located to the west of the city offers high, clear views of Clifton Suspension Bridge, Avon Gorge and Ashton Court Estate. It is one of many great spots for photographers hoping to capture the balloons against the iconic the balloons and the bridge in one photogenic nutshell, the observatory is every Bristolian photographers dream. Bristol Harbourside Many people like to wait by the city's harbourside to watch the balloons float above the the city's iconic rainbow buildings in the distance, plus boats on the water, this spot makes for a great photo. All the bars and restaurants alongside the harbour also offer a place to sit and relax at the same time. Perretts Park While this location is based slightly outside of the city centre on the Totterdown/Knowle border, Perrett Park still attracts big crowds, especially in hot sloping hill boasts stunning views of the city, and is the perfect location for families who like to enjoy a picnic and some space while watching the balloons. Brandon Hill Brandon Hill is the oldest park in Bristol and is home to another of the city's famous landmarks, Cabot lookout, based at the top of Park Street, offers panoramic views of Bristol, looking across the city centre and over towards Ashton has become one of the most popular places for balloon spotters, with its informal gardens and flowing stream adding a touch of serenity to the bustling on the wind direction, scores of hot-air balloons may fly almost directly overhead on their way towards the harbourside. Dundry hill If you're looking for more picturesque vistas of the countryside, plenty of people head a little outside of the city towards to Dundry Hill, near Bristol 15 minutes south of Bristol, the rolling hilltop stretches for two miles east to west, and offers a serene escape from the city with sweeping views of green pastures and charming country heights of up to 160m (525ft), it's the perfect location to see hot-air balloons as they drift up and away from the city, with uninterrupted views of the skyline. Troopers Hill Based 15 minutes outside of the city centre, this nature reserves boasts stunning views of the east of on the winds, this spot often sees a large majority of the balloons recent years, big crowds have gathered, with people playing music and creating a festival atmosphere.
