In 1971, Don Cameron founded Cameron Balloons in Bristol, and in 1978 he decided to create an event that would draw balloonists from all around the world. In September 1979 the first Bristol International Balloon Fiesta was held in the grounds of Ashton Court, an 850 acre historic estate on the edge of Bristol.
The Fiesta was hailed as a great success and has grown from strength to strength over the last thirty years, and although the event is still held in Ashton Court, the date was changed from September to August to increase the chance of good weather.
The Fiesta is now one of the biggest in the world and the largest annual event of its kind in Europe. Bristol is widely regarded as the world centre for hot air ballooning, being the home of the Fiesta and Cameron Balloons, who have today become widely regarded as the largest hot air balloon manufacturer in the world and market leaders of special shaped balloons.
Back in 1979 the Fiesta was financed by sponsorship from local businesses and this is a tradition that has carried on to the present day. In the year running up to the event, bookings are taken from Bristol’s local businesses for membership of the 100 club. Membership costs £2000 to join and the first 100 members are afforded the chance to become the title sponsor for the event. A prize draw takes place during a VIP dinner held a month before the Fiesta, with the first prize being the Title Sponsor package. In 2009, the title sponsor package was won by Harvey Nichols and thus this year's event was officially titled the Harvey Nichols' Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.
In a change to previous years, the arena was expanded and the layout changed to allow spectators uninterrupted access all around the perimeter, affording much better views of the balloonists and the various events throughout the day.
This year's fiesta was held between 6th and 9th August, the format remaining unchanged from previous years. Mass ascents took place at 6am and 6pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and the famous nightglows and firework displays were held at 9:30pm on the Thursday and Saturday evenings. Throughout the afternoons of each day, various events took place in the arena to keep the crowds entertained. On the Saturday these included, amongst others, a display by the Royal Navy Historic Flight, although due to unservicability, the display was actually performed by the Kennet Aviation Seafire. A local reserve force gave a demonstration, the EXIT parachute display team were performing for the fifteenth year in a row and an outstanding display by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows was enjoyed by an appreciative crowd.
We travelled the three hours from Manchester on Saturday 8th August, on the promise of a good day's weather. As we parked up at Ashton Court just after 6am, a few balloons were already silently rising above the tree line, the silence periodically broken by the roar of the burners heating the envelope. The experience is quite surreal, the sight of an inflated Jaguar XK8 floating across the sky is not an everyday occurrence.
Entering the arena even at this early hour, it quickly became apparent that the Fiesta is very much a friendly, family orientated event. Many families were already out in force watching the magical early morning ascent by nearly 100 hot air balloons and claiming the good viewing spots early on. The more balloons that rose from the arena, the more amazing it seemed that so many managed to lift off from what is a fairly small area. There is something quite magical about seeing close to 100 balloons in the sky at the same time, so peaceful, almost ghostly. It is difficult not to just gaze in awe at how spectacular, but how simple it all is. And that really is what this event is all about, it’s a pleasure to be here witnessing it and it seems an equal pleasure for those involved.
After the morning mass ascents, several model hot air balloons are inflated and paraded around the arena. These models are miniature versions of the real thing, complete with baskets containing small gas canisters, remotely controlled. The ‘pilots’ walk around the arena with the tether lines wrapped around their hands, like a kite string, delivering a burst of hot air to keep them afloat as needed and giving the crowds the opportunity to see the balloons up close.
In amongst the balloons are several of the special shapes that the Fiesta has become famous for. The Churchill dog is a firm favourite amongst the crowd, although remaining tethered during both the morning and evening launches. The Belgian registered turtle (named Mr Bup after its Belgian registration OO-BUP) is a personal favourite of mine so I was delighted to see it fly in the morning, even though it was tethered in the evening. The Scottish Piper was inflated towards the end of the evening ascent display, but it stayed on the ground. It must be quite precious as it’s always laid out over a ground sheet for protection. The Blue Square balloon flew in the afternoon and the Monster.com balloon struggled to get much lift in the morning and was just tethered in the evening.
The star of the show for many was the new Cameron special shape balloon made to promote the new Disney Pixar film UP. The film is an animated comedy about a 78-year-old balloon salesman who attaches thousands of balloons to his house and floats off on an adventure. The Cameron balloon is very cleverly designed so that when the balloon is inflated it appears to be made up of thousands of balloons as in the film. The basket is also covered in an inflatable house, completing the illusion, however, this creates a problem as the covered basket impairs the pilot's view. In order to overcome this a second balloon flies in tandem and acts as a guide for the pilot of the UP balloon.
A quick look at the watch tells us it’s still only 8am, so time for some breakfast. After a coffee and a full English in a box(!), we decide to kill a couple of hours and head into Bristol for a look at SS Great Britain, another of Bristol’s greatest icons, and a chat with I.K. Brunel!
When we returned to the Fiesta around lunchtime, the whole area had become noticeably more crowded than earlier in the day. I had expected the event to be much busier for the afternoon and evening events, but I must admit I was quite surprised by how many people were there. The place was absolutely heaving.
As we walked down the hill towards the arena the magical sound of a Rolls Royce Griffon engine filled the air as the Kennet Seafire performed a superb display for the crowds. Once in the arena, we met up with a group of friends to enjoy the rest of the day's proceedings. The local reserve force gave a great visual display with plenty of purple and white smoke and deafening bangs to please the crowd that were in close proximity. The EXIT parachute display team jumped from a helicopter at 5000 feet and all landed right in the centre of the arena. Another major factor for the large crowds on Saturday, aside from the glorious weather, was undoubtedly the fact that the Royal Air Force Aerobatic team, The Red Arrows, were due to perform. Bang on 5pm the Reds entered the airspace above the arena for a breathtaking full 25-minute display, that went down a storm with the crowd. I must admit it’s been quite a while since I heard such a positive response to a Reds display, that said, it was probably the best I have seen them all season, with a clear blue sky as a backdrop. It was a precise and polished routine, as we have come to expect from the world's best, and one that makes you proud to be British, which was evident amongst the appreciative crowd.
As the thrill of the Red Arrows display dies down, into the arena comes a steady trail of vehicles with their balloon trailers in tow. People appear from the cars and the crews start to assemble the balloons, a process which is obviously well rehearsed and fine-tuned, for such a large number of people to be able to function in such a small area. First the baskets are assembled and the burner units attached and plugged into the gas bottles. The envelopes are rolled out, wherever a space can be found, and the arena soon becomes filled with balloons all struggling for space as they inflate. A great cheer erupts from the crowd as the first balloon ascends, appropriately the balloon of the title sponsor, Harvey Nichols. One by one they continue to rise up and float off towards the hills, majestically sailing across the sky as dusk falls. As the balloons lift up, off go the support vehicles, to rendezvous at the landing areas, pack them safely up and bring them back to the Fiesta. Due to the good weather, a respectable number of balloons were able to lift in the evening, although not as many as in the morning.
As the light of the day faded, preparations began for the evening's spectacle. The support vehicles returned, and a few of the balloons were spaced around the arena and inflated. Eventually they were ready and the music began. Following the beat, the balloons lit up and faded, almost dancing in time with the music. Dotted around the arena were baskets with burners that also joined in, throwing blasts of flame into the night sky. The display is a crowd favourite, and is visually stunning. In the darkness, the glow from the burners lights up the whole of the balloons' envelopes and creates a spectacular effect. As the nightglow ended, the crowds were sent on their way with a firework display to bring the day's events to a close.
The 2009 event has been described as the most successful Fiesta ever, with around 150,000 people reported to have attended on the Saturday alone. To put that into some sort of context, a fortnight earlier, the largest airshow in the UK, the Royal International Air Tattoo was attended by 160,000 people over the whole weekend of the show. The fine weather on the Saturday no doubt played a part in the record crowds attending, as did the fact that the Fiesta is still free entry for the public, with only an £8 charge for car parking. Local radio were actually advising drivers caught up in the gridlock around Bristol to head home as the Fiesta car parks were full, which is a first for the event.
Event Director Susan Tanner comments, “We are delighted with how things have gone this year, and the feedback we have received from visitors is very positive. The combination of stunning mass balloon ascents, exhilarating arena entertainment and gorgeous weather over the four days made this an unforgettable experience for visitors.”
One criticism many people had however was the queues for toilets and food, which were at times uncomfortably long. Granted, the organisers may not have expected so many people, especially considering the dreadful weather of the previous year, but this will hopefully be a lesson they learn for the next.
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2009-08-18 - Keith Ogden
I have just read the comments from John Higgins and it was a very good, precise report. The pictures accompanying the report are very interesting and very well composed.
It was a pleasure to attend the show myself and could not have put a description of the event any better.
You have done well gaining the services of John Higgins and look forward to more reports and pictures from future events.
Best regards
Keith Ogden
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