After three long years, the Bristol Balloon Fiesta is back! This year we at Aerosaurus Balloons were in the thick of it all! With several mass ascents, two evenings of night glow and four days of hot air balloon family fun, we loved every second of being back at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta this year!
If you made it this year, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. If you didn’t, don’t worry, we will cover what happened at the four-day ballooning extravaganza this year!
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is the largest event of its kind in Europe. The four-day free event takes place at the beautiful Ashton Court Estate on the outskirts of the Bristol city centre. Teams come from around the UK and further afield gather together to celebrate hot air ballooning.
The four-day event welcomes thousands of spectators of all ages to meet the hot air balloon pilots, witness the ascents and marvel at the night glows! This year we had balloons of all shapes and sizes enter the arena. There were traditional balloons such as our own Aerosaurus Balloons and Bailey Balloons, Shaun the sheep-shaped hot air balloons, a puppy with his tongue out, a luminous green alien and many more!
One thing about the Bristol Balloon Fiesta is that you never know what to expect, and this year certainly didn’t disappoint!
After being absent for the past three years, the Bristol Balloon Fiesta was back and we were raring to go. Since 1978, Ashton Court has hosted the balloon fiesta and 2022 was no different, apart from the sweltering 35-degree heat!
In addition to the hundreds of food, drink and craft stalls to visit, there were plenty of rides, live music performances and other entertainment in the large arena between hot air balloon events! There was something for everyone at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta this year, including lots of shade and free water refills across the site!
The four-day fiesta consists of multiple mass ascents, where as many as 76 hot air balloons will take to the sky together. A truly spectacular site across the city’s skyline at 6am and 6pm.
Unfortunately, this year we were only able to do the morning mass ascents. Because of the pressure created by the heatwave, the conditions were not suitable for an evening mass ascent.
The mass accents set off around 6am, where the multitude of hot air balloons launched into the sky for a gathering crowd to enjoy around the arena! A cacophony of colour against the backdrop of Ashton Court. It was breathtaking for those watching, both in the balloons and on the ground!
The nightglow is one of the busiest events of the weekend. The famous night glow on Thursday and Saturday night had 25 balloons inflated and tethered in the main arena. The pilots then lit up their balloons to the specially curated soundtrack, put together by BBC Radio Bristol.
The balloons lit up the night sky as the large crowd took in the extraordinary sight!
The nightglow takes around three months to choreograph and practice with the participating hot air balloons. This year the pilots helped to put on a spectacular show! The nightglow of 2022 was one of the most spectacular in recent memory. The entire crowd got involved with singing, clapping and using their phones as torches.
This year, due to the warm conditions and the drought, the fireworks after the event were unable to take place. However, the night glow itself was an incredible success on both nights!
After spending a long weekend with fellow hot air balloon pilots, seeing how many people turned out for the mass ascents, and participating in the night glow, we realised how much we missed this event. We can’t wait to take to the skies again next year!
The Bristol Balloon Fiesta is a magical time for all those who pilot or enjoy hot air balloon rides. At Aerosaurus Balloons, we are proud to offer hot air ballooning experiences across a vast array of locations to help people see what it’s like in the sky for themselves. Areas we fly over include:
If you are interested in booking one of the flights we offer across the South West or nationwide, we would love to hear from you. Contact our team by calling us on 01404 519787 or by email at mail@ballooning.co.uk.
