A plethora of hot air balloons are currently filling the skies in Bristol, as the region celebrates its annual festival.
The celebrations kicked off smoothly with the launch of 30 hot air balloons in Bristol’s Elm Park at the start of the event on 2nd August. Known as Fiesta Fortnight, the festival is a major tourist attraction in the city, generating £15 million for the area each year.
Following the postponement of last year’s festival at Ashton Court Estate due to Covid-19 restrictions, over 700 nominations for the take-off locations for this year’s show were put forward during the past few months, before the organisers settled on the final venues. The colourful event will continue until 15th August, with multiple hot air balloon flights launching from various spots around Bristol, enabling the general public to catch a glimpse of the vessels more conveniently from their own homes, gardens or while travelling around the city.
The event has been organised with support from Costa Coffee. As the largest coffeehouse chain in the UK, Costa Coffee is an easily recognisable brand, and it will be visiting several of the launch locations to surprise local residents with balloon-themed treats.
Due to unsettled weather conditions, balloons may be unable to be launched every day of the two week-long event, as rain or heavy winds could compromise the safety of balloon flights. The organisers will be keeping an eye on the weather forecast, so the vessels can take to the skies during sunny spells over the next few days.
