It was announced in July that a special flight over Bristol would be taking place that month, called Sky Orchestra. 7 balloons would play out music while flying above the city, waking up people to a soundtrack commissioned by Bristol Old Vic and members of Massive Attack and Portishead. Despite a number of good opportunities during mid-July, the flight was delayed. 

On Friday 7th August, a night glow of 12 hot air balloons took place in Henbury. Organised by local balloonists Craig and Mandy Thompson, they invited all their pilot friends to come along, enjoy the barbecue and glow their balloons at dusk. Friends watching were in ‘bubble groups’ and it took much longer to organise than it usually would due to social distancing guidelines. 

​As seen in our previous blog post, the 2020 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta was cancelled due to obvious reasons, but the organisers and pilots were still determined to put on a show - but with a twist. A fiesta flypast and virtual glow were arranged, for the people of Bristol to watch from their doorsteps and online. 

Uploads on our YouTube channel have now resumed.

Read all about how a special shape hot air balloon comes to life in our latest blog written by ex VABC creative director Mark Lockwood, who has designed many classic shapes himself such as Action Man, the Tesco trolley and Cadbury's caramel bunny. It's not as easy as you might think...

Today (4th July) the government guidelines for hot air ballooning in England change, now allowing up to 6 people to fly in a basket. Previous restrictions allowed balloons only to fly if the pilot and crew involved lived in the same household, which has not been possible for the vast majority of pilots.  

Today the Bristol Balloon Fiesta have made an announcement regarding the 2020 event, originally due to take place between 6-9th August. Organisers have been forced to cancel the usual event and activities at Ashton Court due to social distancing but are encouraging Bristolians to still look to the skies…

We really hope all our followers are keeping safe and healthy in these difficult times for us all.

This is a quick update regarding the situation of flying hot air balloons in the UK as of late May into June. Whether you're a pilot, crew or just a fan of balloons, everyone is missing ballooning and it's certainly not the same in Bristol without balloons in the sky.

Mark Lockwood, ex Creative Director at the Virgin Airship & Balloon Company tells us about the creation and tour of the popular Sonic the Hedgehog special shape from the 1990s. Enjoy! 

We hope our followers are keeping well and safe during this crazy time for us all. We are, too, dreaming of blue skies, getting out and about and flying, but that will of course have to wait.