Thursday 12th - Sunday 15th August 2010Ashton Court, Bristol

Golden Jubilee of modern ballooning 1-2

Family Fun at the Fiesta 3-4

Special shapes 5-6

Arena Schedule 7-8

ConTenT

The summer skies over Bristol will once again be filled with hot air balloons this August, as the ASTRA International Bristol Balloon Fiesta gets into full swing (12th – 15th August).

Recognised as one of the UK’s top five outdoor events, around half a million people flock each year to this world-class hot air ballooning festival. This year, the Fiesta is celebrating the ‘golden jubilee’ of modern ballooning.It is fifty years since the first modern hot air balloon was developed by Ed Yost in the United States. Modern hot air balloons carry an onboard heat source to re-heat air inside the envelope during flight whereas previously, air had to be heated by a ground fire prior to take off and was often a hazardous business! As a ‘curtain-raiser’ for the Fiesta, the city centre launch is set to take place from College Green, the first time it has taken place against this historic backdrop for many years.

Flanked by the Cathedral and Council House, a group of balloons will take off from the Green on Monday 9 August with balloon teams dressed top to tail in their best 1960’s outfits, marking the decade in which modern ballooning began.A full complement of 150 balloons are expected at this year’s event, a third more than took part last year, promising to make the mass ascents a truly magical experience. A third of the balloonists will come from the local area and will get a chance to mix with balloon teams from all over the world, from as far afield as Dubai, United States, Holland, France and Switzerland.

The ballooning at the main event gets underway with a Special Shapes Rodeo on Thursday 12 August, including the first appearance at the Fiesta of a spectacular new dragon balloon

Fiesta celebrates -‘Golden Jubilee’ of Modern Ballooning

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and welcoming back Fiesta favourites including the Churchill Dog, the Scottish Piper, Monster and Jaguar car.Mass ascents of all the balloons will take place, weather permitting, from the main arena at 6am and 6pm on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Fiesta, with up to 900 flights are set to take place over the four days of this iconic city event.

The ‘golden jubilee’ will be celebrated throughout the weekend with the presence of flight director Don Cameron’s ‘Bristol Belle,’ the first hot air balloon to be built in Western Europe in 1967, which will be tethered at the event. During the Fiesta balloon teams will also compete for a new ‘Ed Yost Trophy’ (details of which are to be confirmed) to honour the father of modern ballooning.A series of model balloons will fly around the edge of the arena, offering visitors a chance to have a ‘close-up’ demonstration of how the stars of the Fiesta work and balloon inflation

demonstrations with full scale balloons will take place between mass ascents to give crowds an insight into how they work.

On Thursday 12 and Saturday 14 August, balloon crews will hurry back from their early evening flights to prepare for the ever popular Night Glows. Attracting up to 100,000 people, these spectacles see balloons tether in the main arena and light up like giant light bulbs in time to music before a firework display.

This year the HSBC Thursday Night Glow will celebrate 100 years of aviation in the West ofEngland with a ‘Best of British’ theme choreographed by local balloonist Dave Groombridge,The Milka Saturday Night Glow will take a party theme with modern chart hits choreographed by local balloonist Ian Martin.

2www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

Bristol’s iconic hot air ballooning event offers visitors four action-packed days of fun for the whole family to enjoy.

On top of the ballooning events, this year the Astra Bristol International Balloon Fiesta provides a host of new family activities and an expanded schedule of arena events to keep people entertained throughout the day. Amongst the new attractions will be a ‘Fiesta Activity Zone’ on the West Lawn in front of the Mansion House. This features giant transparent balls which enable people to walk on water, an assault course, climbing walls, archery and laser clay-pigeon shooting.

The main arena will see a strong turn-out by the Armed Forces, with a first-

time appearance from the Royal Navy’s Blac Cats Helicopter Display Team, a performance by the Royal Signals White Helmets motorcycle display team as well as a series ofstaged combat exercises by Army reservists. It will also play host to the head turning displays of the world famous Red Arrows team on Sunday 15th, brought to the Fiesta in association with Mail Handling International.

New to the event this year are Parabatix, a team of paramotor pilots who plan to demonstrate the ultra light air sport of powered paragliding. To celebrate 50 years of modern ballooning, a series of model balloons will also be on show to give visitors a close-up view of how the

main stars of the Fiesta work and there will be inflation demonstrations of full sized hot air balloons, to give the crowds an insight into how theywork.

Around the show site, there will be a range of other family entertainment, including; a funfair, face-painting, giant outdoor games and a ‘chill-out area’ at the Heart FM Zone; a computer gaming hub from EA Sports; and interactive games from Saturday Night Glow sponsor Milka. Younger fans should watch out for Disney’s most famous face, Mickey Mouse, who will be parked up with his Clubhouse Campervan to greet his young fans and encourage children and parents

to have fun counting together.

To accompany its busy schedule of events, the Fiesta will host a Bristol Food Court for the first time with food and drink by local suppliers including Pieminister.

The five bars at the event will also be stocked with a range of beers and ales by Zerodegrees. This year’s Astra Bristol International Balloon Fiesta takes place in the rolling hills of Ashton Court from Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th August. Attracting over half a million visitors each year, the free event is one of the UK’s top five outdoor events and the biggest of its kind in Europe.

Fiesta fun for the whole family

3 www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

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Heads will turn across Bristol as the 2010 ASTRA Bristol International Balloon Fiesta kicks off the ballooning with the launch of its iconic special shapes on Thursday 12th August.

The specially created balloons are a firm favourite of Fiesta fans and their launch on its opening day traditionally signifies that proceedings at one of the UK’s biggest outdoor events are well and truly underway.

Three new shapes are making their first-ever appearance at the Fiesta this year. Making its first public appearance anywhere is Palletways’ smoke-breathing ‘Slick the Dragon’, complete with the UK’s only glass-bottom balloon basket. It will be joined at the event by ‘George the White Motorbike’, a giant bike which is one of the biggest special shapes ever built, and a third mystery balloon whose identity is being kept a closely guarded secret until the Fiesta begins.

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Special shapes add giant colour to this year’s Fiesta

The list of twelve special shapes is bolstered by the return of old favourites, such as the 165ft Scottish Piper, owned by Organising Committee Chairman Muir Moffat. ‘Pipey’, as he isaffectionately known, will be joined by old friends in the shape of the Bristol-built Monster.com balloon and Churchill’s Nodding Dog, which measures an extraordinary 34 by 24 metres roughly the size of an office block.The Kiwi bird, complete with its 10 metre beak, will be winging its way in from New Zealand to join the riot of colours above Bristol whilst a dash of class will be added to proceedings by the arrival of the Jaguar XK8 balloon in its finest British Racing Green.

All these and many more await visitors at what promises to be another feast of ballooning at the annual event, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of modern ballooning with a third more balloons taking part than last year and an expanded programme of

arena events. Set in the rolling hills of the Ashton Court Estate, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is now in its 32nd year and attracts 500,000 visitors annually. This year the four day event is brought to the public by ASTRA, one of the world’s leading satellite services providers.

There are a variety of ways visitors can plan their journeys to the 2010 Fiesta and some new arrangements for this year. Fiesta organisers urge visitors to plan their journeys well ahead, particularly during very busy periods such as the Night Glow events on Thursday and Saturday evenings, and the Red Arrows display on Sunday 15th at 4.30pm.

As with previous years, the Clifton Suspension Bridge will be closed from 6pm - 2am on Thursday 12th and Saturday 14th for both pedestrians and vehicles, which people hould bear in mind.

6www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

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13August

Gates openHot Air Balloon Tethers in main arena, throughout the afternoon Trades and Entertainment Village open

Special Shapes Ascent - a number of your faviourite special shape balloons will take to the skies

HSBC Nightglow: The world famous Bristol Nighglow.

Gates close

12August

12:00

18:00

21:30

22:30

Hot Air Balloon Ascent - over 100 balloons will take to the skies

Trade and Entertainment Village open

Arena Entertainment and Tethered Balloons

Hot Air Baloon Mass Ascent - over 100 balloons will take to the skies

Gates Close

06:00

09:00

12:00

18:00

20:30

What’s on-at the Fiesta

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August

14

August

15

06:00

09:00

12:00

18:00

21:30

22:30

Hot Air Balloon Mass Ascent - over 100 balloons take to the skies

Trade and Entertainment Village open

Areba Entertainment and Tethered Balloons

Red Arrowns in Assosiation with Mail Handling International.

Hot Air Balloon Mass Ascent - over 100 balloons take to the skies

06:00

09:00

12:00

16:30

18:00

Hot Air Balloon Ascent - over 100 balloons will take to the skies

Trade and Entertainment Village open

Arena Entertainment and Tethered Balloons

Hot Air Baloon Mass Ascent - over 100 balloons will take to the skies

Milka Nightglow - The world famous Bristol Nightglow

Gates Close

www.bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk

Fiesta Hotl ine

If you have any queries

regarding this year’s

Bristol Balloon Fiesta

please call our visitor

information team

09067112191