Greatest Balloon Fiesta in the UK!

I am currently at home in England, lying low while catching up on emails, overdue posts and other work projects.

My backlog of unseen posts is quite broadly sprinkled over the last couple of months but I thought publishing them out to the world behind time is better than never.

My husband and I spent a marvelous weekend with friends at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta last summer. This would have been our second time around at this festival and it just never gets old. We experienced the most beautiful piercing sunset with a view of about a hundred hot air balloons ascending in the most perfect blue sky. At about 6:00 p.m. the first balloon appeared from behind some trees starting the mass launch followed by dozens more, rallying across the field, up in the air until it dims into the distance. England has been enthralled to hordes of tourists for decades and, with the festival season coming up in full swing, it continues to make headway. My husband and I were able to catch sight of a few spots on a nearby hill seemingly unscathed by revelers. Finding a good spot with space is golden given this visitor heavy event.

Style Details
Top & Skirt | TOPSHOP
Bag | PROENZA SCHOULER
Shoes | ISABEL MARANT
Sunglasses | CÉLINE

Here are 7 Things to Look-out for While Enjoying the Bristol Hot Air Balloon Fiesta:

Go on the very first day of the festival, usually a Thursday, as the weekend crowd can make the entire experience a suffocating one.
Walk the Fiesta site by foot from Bristol City Centre, by bicycle or by the Balloon Official Shuttle buses if you want to avoid traffic and paying premium parking.
Bring snacks and a picnic mat or foldable chairs to comfortably experience the fiesta for hours. Believe me, you’d want to stay for the entire evening.
Look out for amazing aerial displays from the RAF – Royal Armed Forces of Britain.
Stay for the spectacular Nightglow on Thursday or Saturday at 9:15 p.m., followed by a smashing fireworks show. It was so beautiful to watch in person that I almost teared up when my husband and I saw it for the first time.
The top vantage points are usually found at the location itself, the Ashton Court Estate, by the Suspension Bridge or the Avon Gorge Hotel in Clifton, Bedminster Down, Dundry Hill, Troopers Hill, Brandon Hill, and the Harbourside.
Don’t forget to book your Hot Air Balloon ride! There is no better way to see the sensational Somerset landscape than up in the air.

Bristol is one of the most scenic, most spirited and most artsy cities in the U.K. Coming here during the 4-day Balloon Fiesta will elevate your love for it even more.