Fiesta City
7th - 9th August 2026
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
Friday 7 – Sunday 9 August
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 7-9 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. In the chance that they don’t fly the Fiesta has refocussed attention to introduce multiple opportunities for visitors to still experience the magic of ballooning regardless.
In the chance that they do, visitors are given a spectacle like no other. The compact central arena becomes awash with a rainbow of colour at dawn for a peaceful morning song to awaken the city, and at dusk to mark the closing of the day and the start of evening celebrations.
On Friday and Saturday, visitors 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.
SCHOOLS TETHER ROADSHOW
THROUGHOUT JULY
Following a highly successful roadshow in 2025, we are once again going to bring balloons to schools across the city and wider region, weather permitting. We'll be looking to pop-up and tether balloons in fields and large playgrounds and offer schools activity packs to promote this magical sport to future generations of engineers and pilots and celebrate its heritage in the city.
This programme will run from 1 July until the end of the summer term. Schools in Bristol and the wider region are invited to put their schools forward for a balloon visit, these visits will be within school hours and the balloon(s) will be tethered to the ground.
To nominate your school, please complete this form. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 29 May.
There are lots of operational elements that need to align to deliver this successsfully, so please provide as much detail as possible to give your school the best chance at being selected.
Due to the detail required to complete this application, we ask that it is completed by someone familiar with the school – a member of staff, school governor or member of the PTA.
Key things to understand:
- There is no fee for this opportunity.
- Hot air balloons are weather dependent so while we will give you an indication of dates, if you are successful, the final decision will be made 24 hours before the scheduled tether.
- We recommend that tether displays are scheduled for the mornings where possible, within school hours.
- The size of the space of the tether will likely dictate how many pupils can see the balloon(s).
- Schools will need to provide staff and/or volunteers to accompany the children in attendance.
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