One of the biggest balloon festivals in Europe starts today and runs until Sunday 9th August 2009 in Bristol, set in the Ashton Court parkland on the edge of the city.

The Balloon Fiesta is free to the public but if you want to see the balloons taking off you may have to be up early as they are launched daily at 6am in the morning as well as 6pm in the evening. It’s a magical sight to see the colourful balloons drifting over the rooftops, many in novelty shapes, such as the Scottish piper or the Bulldog  advertising famous product brands.

One of the best places to view them outside the fiesta site is the green space known as The Downs  near the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Many Bristolians sit out on the Downs on Sunday evening with a picnic to get a final view of the balloons drifting up from below. One year we were there and the wind blew the balloons over the area where we were sitting with many balloons landing suddenly and scattering the audience. One even came down in the middle of a traffic roundabout.

One of the hightlights is the Night Glow which takes place at 9.30pm on Thursday and Saturday, as darkness falls the tethered balloons are lit up by their burners in time to music. You’ll be best advised to come to the Fiesta by Public transport or the special buses laid on, as the traffic can be heavy coming into the Fiesta site. The festival is an annual event, so if you can’t make it this year, put it in your diary to visit Bristol this time next year.

Photos by Frostie 2006 and Heather on her travels