On Wednesday 1st April, a number of hot air balloons gathered at Ashton Court Estate to mark the official launch of the 48th Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, set to take place from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th August 2026. No, it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke. The aim was simple; bring some much-needed colour back to the Bristol skies after a long winter.

From factory shadows to fiesta fame, meet Ralph the Rozière! Every balloon has a story, but few rival the unexpected charm and journey of Ralph, a once forgotten Rozière balloon that’s now one of the favourites in our special shape collection and stealing the spotlight at the UK’s biggest ballooning events. Here’s the story of how this balloon was brought back to life and transformed into a crowd favourite with a bit of creativity and imagination. From overlooked to unforgettable, Ralph proves that even the simplest shapes can make a big impression.

Learn what life is like for our team behind the scenes at a major UK balloon event with our weird and wonderful hot air balloons. Together, we revisit the 2024 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta where we attended with a whole host of special shape balloons, bringing you along for the build-up, preparation, and event weekend.

The 46th Bristol Balloon Fiesta returns to Ashton Court Estate from 9th to 11th August 2024 for 3 days of hot air ballooning action and family fun. The special shape balloons always attract lots of attention from media and spectators, and we are pleased to share a great line-up of special shapes for this year’s event. Some all-time classics are returning!

The Maxwell House coffee jar will make its return to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta this August after last attending in 1995! G-BVBK was our fourth balloon to join our special shape collection back in 2022 and we're excited to be bringing it along to Ashton Court.

​Discover how MJ Ballooning started, building our brand through the years, and how we acquired some of the most iconic UK special shape hot air balloons. How my childhood dream as a 10 year old is now reality in 2023… 

On a secret mission in foreign lands, he has been a hedgehog in hiding for many years, saving the world and being a cool spiny spy!

We were delighted to speak to BBC Bristol live on radio from the Bristol Balloon Fiesta site on Friday 12th August. They have also filmed some footage of our popular special shape balloons and put a short video together about why we're doing what we're doing and how it started.

Read our 2022 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta review and summary, looking back on a spectacular 4 days of hot air ballooning at Ashton Court Estate. See what is was like from our team's point of view attending for the first time with a fleet of special shape balloons.