News / bristol international balloon fiesta
Bristol Balloon Fiesta fortnight plans announced
Hundreds of hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes will take off from locations across Bristol as part of a special Balloon Fiesta fortnight.
Organisers promise the event taking place from Monday, August 2 to Sunday, August 15 will be something “spectacular” for the city to take the place of the free festival that would usually take place at Ashton Court but was cancelled due to ongoing Covid uncertainty.
More than 700 nominations were submitted by people to help pick the locations of where the balloons will take off from – these included local parks, public spaces, car parks and streets.
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A partnership between the fiesta and Costa coffee means the coffee chain will be visiting different parts of Bristol with ‘balloon-shaped’ treats for residents. The Costa: LIVE Experience Pod will be in various city centre locations throughout the fortnight, providing people with a place from which to view the balloons while enjoying a cup of coffee.
Chris Allcock, chair of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, said: “We were sad that we weren’t able to host the much-loved annual Balloon Festival in Ashton Court this year due to Covid-19.
“However, this special edition of the fiesta is going to be something spectacular for the city and we are so thankful to Costa Coffee for partnering with us to help this happen. There were some clear winners and favourite locations for balloons to fly from, highlighted from the hundreds of suggestions from fiesta fans. So, we’re hoping to make sure the greatest number of people will be able to enjoy the balloons, including some communities that rarely get balloons overhead.”
The final list of locations will be revealed over the fiesta’s social media channels. There will be regular updates on all locations and timings.
The fiesta won’t take place at Ashton Court this year – photo by paulbox ©, paul@framedogs.com
Nick Orrin, director of Costa Express UK&I, said: “We are proud to partner with the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on such a fantastic event. After what has been an unprecedented time for many, we wanted to give something exciting to the Bristol community to enjoy.”
Keep an eye on www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk/ and social media channels for updates on the fiesta fortnight.
Main photo by paulbox©
Read more: Bristol Balloon Fiesta will not take place in 2021
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