JWSport Jacek Waszak – Sport journalist
THE BEST BALLOON FESTIVAL IN BRISTOL SINCE 1979 THIS SUMMER.
It’s been a beautiful summer here for years – you really should have been here this year. What lovely sunshine we were treated to, and there was no wind – which always used to get in the way every year, meaning those flights and concerts always ended up a bit differently. Anyone who wanted to watch the balloons at that time or take a chance on a hot-air balloon ride in the sky during those three days we had to see, and also take part in this fantastic event – the incredible festival that took place this summer – surely all the people who came feel the same way, because it was said that 300, 000 people turned up this year – that’s certainly a record.
A wonderful weekend. From 6.00 am on Friday, Wojtek Nowak was taking photos, as was I, but unfortunately I was a bit late for the launches because of the traffic jams – a huge number of people had turned up, and as it turned out, there were between 25,000 and 30,000 people there so early in the morning.
I, too, wanted to see the balloons take off right from the start.
On Friday morning, over 80 balloons of various shapes and sizes took to the skies above Bristol, and it was a magnificent sight.
So this year I changed my tactics and plans: I took a blanket and lay down for a while on the grass outside that rectangle – as we always do on Wednesday – and had a chat with people, asking them how they were getting on with the whole event after the first few days, and I’ll tell you, I spoke to lots of people who’ve been coming here regularly for 20 or 15 years and spend three days at Ashton Park; some arrive in cars and campervans for five or seven days, spending their own August holidays here with the hot-air balloons. Lying on my blanket, I watched the balloons take off from a different perspective – from the other side of the barriers – and it was a lovely, relaxing time, a brief respite from the hectic pace of our work. Then, in the afternoon, right from the heart of the action, Wojtek and I – as a journalist and photographer – got down to work. It was a pleasure working alongside Wojtek, and from the centre of the action we worked with the media and other photographers; it was a very good time for us and a pleasant experience, and the work yielded excellent results. These three full days this year changed people’s attitudes, and every participant had plenty of entertainment: a giant Ferris wheel from which you could see the whole of Bristol and its surroundings, a merry-go-round, electric cars, roller coasters, and you could also have a go at the shooting gallery or play darts to win a Minion, a Teddy Bear, Zabe, a whale and, this year’s popular animals, the capybaras.
During this three-day event, five successful group runs took place, and the organisers described this year as ‘unbelievable’.
Bristol is a beautiful city where I’ve lived for over 19 years now, and it’s that part of the West of England where everything feels natural and so simple – it’s the perfect place to organise events and parties, as well as being a hub for innovation, art and culture in our city. As someone originally from Kraków, I can say after all these years that I’m a Bristolian – a local. I really like it here, and there are some truly interesting places in Bristol, but the City Council needs to allocate a bit more money to repairing the streets here, to renovating more buildings, and to restoring all those historic and ordinary ones from the 18th and 19th centuries throughout the city of Bristol. Then it will attract even more tourists from abroad, and then it will start to earn money from tourism, and tourists will admire these beautiful streets, bridges, churches, and the culture and traditions of England, and then you’ll learn the most important facts about the region and the surrounding area. You can also visit the city of Bath, which isn’t far away; if you go on a trip there, it’ll take you about 40 minutes by bus, or 10 minutes by train from the beautiful Temple Meads railway station. We’ve received several awards for sustainable urban development, including Bath’s architecture, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Bath’s natural, beautiful and unique thermal waters. From Bristol’s iconic street art and bustling waterfront to its accolades for sustainable urban development and architecture, Bristol and its surrounding area offer the perfect blend of history, creativity and culture
This region is a hub for business, technology, education and cultural exploration, set amidst stunning landscapes. We were lucky with the weather: this weekend saw five hot-air balloon flights out of six mass launches – it really was a wonderful weekend. Since 1979, one of the most popular attractions has consistently been the ‘night glow’ – a night-time light show featuring hot-air balloons, where, as the music plays, the balloons light up in different rhythms; after dark, the balloons are filled with air and glow. This event took place on Friday, the first day of the festival, at around 9.00 pm, and later on we also had a fireworks display. Unfortunately, this attraction was scrapped because it cost a lot of money. It was certainly fascinating and interesting for people who watched these displays in early August, rather than in December at New Year. For many people, these are the highlights of the festival programme.
Near the festival site, in the Bedminster district, is the headquarters of the balloon manufacturer Cameron Balloons. It is there that many unusually shaped balloons are created; among them are figures such as Rupert the Bear, a Scottish bagpiper, Bertie Bassett, a Tesco shopping trolley, Stuart the Minion and a BBC One balloon. The festival also welcomed unusually shaped balloons from abroad – over the years, visitors have included a UFO and a beaver from the USA, a kiwi from New Zealand, and a balloon that flies ‘upside down’ from the Netherlands. This year, as in 2026, we had some unusual balloons, including a Scarecrow, a Clown, the Black Knight, Snow White, Lips, a Dragon, a King, Ice Cream and Tins. There was also a round Babybel, a Turtle, a Steam Train, Coffee, billiard balls, a Ladybird and a Cow. In recent years, as the event programme has been expanded to include large-scale aerobatic displays featuring groups such as the Air Force, The Blades, the Typhoon display team and the Red Arrows, these have certainly provided a treat for locals and attendees alike; it’s a pleasure to watch and admire such magnificent performances.
Ben Hardy, executive director of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, said that the team and the balloonists “had a brilliant time” this year in an interview with the BBC
In short, everyone left the event happy and certainly very relaxed and smiling, as there were countless attractions. On behalf of our editorial team at INFORMACJE24 and JWSPORT, we invite all our readers and listeners to experience this feeling, enjoy a great adventure, or even a lovely trip – especially if you’ve never been to Ashton Park. Let’s not just sit at home; let’s do something with our lives, particularly when something is organised locally for free, and if it’s a regular and interesting event, it’ll be well worth our while to go out – whether with the family or on your own – for at least one day and see for yourselves everything that was happening here live. The editorial teams at INFORMACJE24 and JWSPORT wish everyone a remaining holidays from the editorial team at INFORMACJE24 and JWSPORT.
