Iconic hot air balloon festival confirms 2024 dates

The iconic Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is a free-to-attend, three-day event that celebrates the city and its heritage links to the remarkable world of hot air ballooning.

For the 9-11 August, the rolling hills of Ashton Court on the outskirts of the city of Bristol are home to a temporary playground of entertainment, and a stage set ready and waiting for over 100 hot air balloons to take flight.

At the heart of the experience of this unique event, is a game of chance – will these feats of engineering take flight. 

When weather conditions allow for a mass ascent, visitors witness a spectacle like no other. 

From Friday to Sunday the compact central arena becomes awash with a rainbow of colour at dawn, approximately 6am, and just before dusk, approximately 6pm, to mark the closing of the day and start the evening celebrations. 

On Friday and Saturday, visitors can stay beyond nightfall to experience the event’s infamous Night Glows. After dark, dozens of hot air balloons inflate, and use their burners to glow in time to a soundtrack of inspiring music to bring the party atmosphere and bring the crowd of spectators to their feet.

During the day, the event programme spans across acres of this countryside estate, offering entertainment, activities, food and drink, trade stands, and exhibitions. 

There are still multiple opportunities for visitors to experience the magic of ballooning and this unique day out even when the weather prevents the hot air balloons from taking flight.  

This iconic event has been a steadfast in the UK’s event calendar for more than four decades. The city of Bristol plays the best matched host as the birthplace of ballooning in Europe, and now the capital of the sport worldwide. 

For 2024, that will be made even more prominent as the event will host the British National Hot Air Balloon Championships. 

The competition will see approximately 15 balloon teams compete twice daily, at dawn and dusk, taking off outside of the event with the aim of completing one of the competition tasks directly over the Fiesta. 

Weather-permitting, visitors will see these sports balloons drop down within the event site to place markers on the ground in the arena before flying off to continue the competition.

This unusual, awe-inspiring industry, and its halo event are part of the city’s heritage and have become a synonymous icon to represent Bristol around the world. 

This is a date for the diary not to be missed. While the event is free to attend, charges are applied to use the onsite car parks, and for visitors to enhance their experience through the event’s hospitality packages. 

For more information visit www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk.