I have been longing to see this balloon fiesta for so long and finally I made it to Bristol for this 4-day long festival from 09/08/2018 to 12/08/2018. The thing is, I was here for the whole time, but I could only see the mass balloon ascent once... why? It's the weather! The first two days I tried to catch the balloon lift in the evening so I made it to the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge around 5pm to find the best view. Even it was sunny in both evening but they decided to cancel the ascent because of the high wind.
The third day I tried to catch the one in early morning at 6am so I got up at 4:30am and walked for 40 minutes to the bridge for another chance of seeing a magical moment... And I finally succeed. I did want to cry when I saw the first one flying up to the sky. It was a miracle. This was the only one mass ascent out of seven successfully taking place and I just couldn't believe that I caught it.
What else did I do in the fiesta? I actually only went to Ashton Court (where the balloon fiesta took place) once in the first late evening around 7pm. The first mass balloon lift was cancelled and I thought maybe I could still see the Night Glow and the fireworks in Ashton Court. The bridge was closed from 6pm until midnight due to the fireworks... so I literally spent more time on walking to the fiesta...
Yes the weather looked perfect and sunny but it was super windy. No wonder they cancelled the first ascent... Although there was no balloon lift in the evening, it was super crowded because everyone was waiting for the Night Glow and the fireworks at 9pm. I didn't arrive early so I couldn't find the best spot for the show unfortunately. However, the show was fantastic, I especially liked the background music, it just made me feel like I was in a party! They ended the fiesta with fireworks and music, but I actually think that the fireworks were a bit too weak... okay... but the music was very energetic! Love it!
Did you go to the fiesta this year too? More importantly, did you see the balloons as well?