Balloon Fiesta looking for local heroes to celebrate with flights

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta organisers have opened nominations for local heroes and communities in Bristol to take part in this year's community launch events. The team behind this year's festival are looking for unsung heroes to be flown in hot air balloons which will take off from specially selected locations in their communities across Bristol.

Bristolians are being urged to nominate 'community-spirited' candidates to enjoy the ride of a lifetime, and they are being asked to nominate their local community as a potential location for balloons to take off from during the final countdown to August's Fiesta at Ashton Court.

This comes after it was announced in February that the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta would see a change in its format for 2024. This year's event will remain a free event for the public and will see three days at Ashton Court Estate, with mass ascents each morning and evening (weather permitting) as well as two Night Glow events (on Friday and Saturday evening), and several days of launches from communities across the city, earlier in the week.

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The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta 2024 takeS place on Friday, August 9 - Sunday, August 11, and its community launches will run from Monday, August 5 to Thursday, August 8. It will be known as 'Fiesta Week'.

It forms part of an ambitious five-year plan to help the fiesta 'soar to new heights' ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2028, and to future-proof the event to keep the spectacle alive for generations to come. Ben Hardy, executive director at Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, said: “We are excited to announce our very first series of community launches, and our plans to celebrate the city’s superheroes.

“We want to reach out into communities across the city and to the people of Bristol who are at the heart of everything we do and to celebrate these local heroes. We are looking for local superstars who dedicate their time to supporting other people, making a positive difference within their communities and who have shown bravery or simply inspired others.

“To make the experience extra-special we are keen to hear where the people of Bristol and surrounding areas want to see hot air balloons launch from, whether that be school grounds, parks, and community grounds or even wackier spots. Wherever the flights begin, this celebration of local superheroes will add an exciting new dimension to the Fiesta and underlines our commitment to engage with Bristol’s diverse communities as much as possible to ensure the iconic event soars to new heights.

“It will be very much a city-wide effort and we want to hear about those people and those communities that make our city so special so they can sample the magic of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in their own backyards.”

The deadline for applications is Friday, July 5, and selections will be made by Monday, July 15. Nominations are being invited for both a local hero and a community launch site but applications for just a local hero or just a local launch site are also welcome. Find out more and make a nomination via the official Fiesta website here.