Bristol Balloon Fiesta organisers more confident on event's future

Organisers of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta are more optimistic about the event's future following the challenges of recent years.

The 2025 event will take place from August 8 to August 10 with tickets about to go on sale, while this year's event marked the first year of a strategic five-year plan, concluding in 2028 with its 50th anniversary.

A combination of factors, including poor weather, the pandemic, and the rising cost of living had put the event's future in jeopardy and since the pandemic, the event has been operating at a loss, and after 2023, its annual deficit stood at £100,000.

But thanks to support from local businesses, organisations, and the public, this has now been reduced to £15,000.

Organisers have also shifted its format, reducing it to three days from four to reduce costs, and moved the focus to increasing revenue through sponsorship, commercial partnerships and hospitality packages.

New features have also been included, which allow visitors to find out more about hot air ballooning, as well as the event staging the British National Hot Air Balloon Championships for the first time.

"Bristol is the home of ballooning in Europe and an important capital for the sport worldwide," said Ben Hardy, executive director of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.

"For balloon enthusiasts from around the globe, the fiesta is a celebration of the activity, yet for the local community and the history of the city, the fiesta is a cultural festivity that is synonymous with Bristol.

"We have a social and economic responsibility to protect this event for generations to come, and certainly guide it up to the 50th anniversary in 2028."

Hardy said that while there was still work to be done to address the full financial picture, he hailed the "great show of support we’ve received from the city".

"So, to everyone who’s helped us get this far - whether through sponsorship, partnership, in kind support, advertising, ticket purchases or donations – thank you every one of you," he said.

Sponsors for the 2024 Fiesta were Thatchers, Butcombe, The Eco Scheme, Airbus, Bristol Junior Chamber, Village Hotels, Boe Gin, GWR, Epic, Bailey Caravans, The Ivy, Changsha, The James Dyson Foundation, Bristol City Centre BID, Cameron Balloons, The Motorhome Holiday Company, Whats On Bristol, BIMM University, AMBITIOUS, Triangle Networks, Make It China, Leonardo Hotels, Radisson Hotels, Moxy Hotels, Clayton Hotels, Marriott Bristol Royal, Delta Hotels, The Bristol Hotel and Stagecoach.

For more information, see HERE.