Bristol Balloon Fiesta

Hot air and fun in sunny England

© Susie Kearley — buy a licence here

It’s August 2019 — our first visit to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. It begins at noon, with arena displays of parabatics and activities on the ground. At about 1pm a fantastic Minion shaped balloon is inflated.

We eat lunch, get told off by security for picnicking in a non-picnic area (just metres away from food vans!), and then set off to explore the exhibitors’ area.

We sample chili salsas, wine, fancy oils, and are given free cake and bottles of water. Then we come to the charity stalls where we’re asked to adopt a dog, sponsor a cat, and join the RSPB.

There’s a dog bakery, a traditional bakery, a kids’ water bubble activity, a solar panels exhibit and lots of clothes stalls. There’s something for everyone here: funny T shirts, household goods, kiddies’ activities, flight simulators, inflatable slides, sweet stalls, licensed bars, and all sorts of exotic takeaways.

Fine art exhibitors are displaying their artwork, which is remarkable considering they have no arms. They’ve created some incredible images, and are holding brushes in their mouths or between their toes. Their artwork is much better than anything I could produce, despite having arms!