The thirty-seventh annual Bristol International Balloon Fiesta takes place August 6-9. As Europe's largest hot air balloon event, 130 balloons (weather permitting) will launch from Ashton Court Estate in what is arguably Bristol's showcase event of the year.
So, with not long to go, now's the time to brush up on your Balloon Fiesta knowledge and blow your buddies away with these brilliant balloon-based facts:
1. The first Balloon Fiesta
The idea for the Balloon Fiesta was dreamed up by Don Cameron – founder of Bristol's famous Cameron Balloons – and his friends in 1979, as a way for companies to promote themselves and put on a spectacle for the public. For the first launch, 27 balloons took part, making 117 flights.
2. International appeal
Flickr: Matt Gibson
By 1982, the Fiesta had already started to attract entries from across the world, with pilots and balloons from France, Italy and Germany helping to make up the 44 that took flight that year.
3. Record breaking
Flickr: Alex Gooi
In 1985, 90 balloons registered to take part in the Balloon Fiesta – a post-war record for the number of gas balloons that appeared together in one place in the UK.
4. Special Shapes
Flickr: Karen Roe
In 1997 the Special Shapes category was officially introduced. Over the years, these eye-catching designs have included a Jaguar car, Thomas the Tank Engine, a Smurf, the Churchill Insurance bulldog, a Minion, Sonic the Hedgehog and many others.
5. Vintage revival
Wiki Commons: Julian Hensey
1999 saw several vintage balloons from the very first Balloon Fiesta tethered up on display. One special inclusion was the famous balloon, Bristol Belle.
Not only was this the first balloon built by Don Cameron, it was the first modern hot air balloon built in Britain. The Bristol Belle undertook a number of significant flights, including a launch from the deck of the HMS Ark Royal, where it was used to deliver mail to Malta in 1970.
6. The BBC One balloon
Remember the BBC One balloon that was shaped like a globe? That famous balloon was another one built by Cameron Balloons and was used between 1997 and 2002 for the broadcaster's station idents between programmes. The BBC balloon made its first, and its final flight at Bristol Balloon Fiesta.
7. Too much for the bridge
Shaun Curnow
Since 2003, the Clifton Suspension Bridge has had to be closed to all motor and pedestrian traffic, as the weight of the crowds travelling to and from Ashton Court causes too much of a strain for the bridge to handle safely.
8. More record breaking
Shaun Curnow
In 2014, the Bristol Balloon Fiesta broke the record for the largest number of balloons landing in a single field: 90 balloons landed at the site of the old Cadbury Factory in Keynsham.
9. Balloon mishaps
The balloons don't always land where they are supposed to, but thankfully mishaps are rare. In 2014, a dragon-shaped balloon crashed into a lamppost in Bridgeygate, South Gloucestershire. In 2011, a blue and yellow balloon got tangled up in the chimney pot of a house on Alsop Road in Kingswood.
10. First solar balloon flight
Cameron Balloons
To celebrate Bristol's status as the European Green Capital, this year's Fiesta will see the maiden flight of a unique balloon. The hybrid solar-powered hot air balloon will be the first solar-powered certified aircraft in the world, partially powered by the sun, along with a conventional propane burner. Designed by Cameron Balloons (who else?), the balloon has been created using special fabric that absorbs the sun's rays.
Find more fun things to do in Bristol this summer.