Bristol International Balloon Fiesta 8 Aug 2025

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta

Every August, the skies over Bristol get a colourful makeover, and no, it"s not just the weather playing tricks. It"s the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, where hundreds of hot air balloons rise with the sun. This annual event, which began in 1979 with a modest 27 balloons, has grown into one of Europe"s largest ballooning fiestas. Held at Ashton Court Estate, the three-day fun now attracts pilots and spectators from across the globe, with skies peppered by balloons shaped like everything from traditional teardrops to flying cows and cartoon characters.

© Ben Birchall/PA Images/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Cheerful colours of a Cornwall classic
A Balearic islet
8 Aug 2024Spotted owlet, Bangkok, Thailand
8 Aug 2026International Infinity Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Where did you drop the fish, son?
27 May 2026World Otter Day
1 May 2026Brighton Festival
Jewel of the Adriatic
12 Nov 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
20 Nov 2024Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada
10 Jul 2024Collared aracari
18 Nov 2025Male hooded merganser, Oregon, United States
11 Aug 2025Village of Santa Maddalena, Dolomites, Italy
27 Oct 2023Sligachan Old Bridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
21 Dec 2024Burning the Clocks
15 Jul 2025Perseid meteor shower over Nevada, United States
Shining city on the hill
An old bridge in a new light
30 Aug 2025International Whale Shark Day
22 Jul 2026Coral Reef Awareness Week
4 Jul 2025Orosei, Sardinia, Italy
13 May 2024Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Halfway there
2 Sept 2026Beach huts, Southwold, Suffolk Heritage Coast, England
25 May 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
27 Nov 2023Rio Negro
28 Aug 2024Paralympic Games begin in Paris
Autumn on Windermere
One on land, a million in space
11 Oct 2024Grasmere, Lake District, Cumbria, England
11 Jan 2024Eurasian lynx
6 Oct 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
27 Jul 2024Cowes Week
The cliffs and canyons of Zion National Park