00:00So the very first Balloon Fiesta only had about 21 balloons taking off.
00:03There was no fences like we've got now.
00:05The public could just walk in and amongst the balloons.
00:08And then it slowly just grew and grew every year
00:11until you see what we've got here this weekend.
00:14And firstly, just tell me, where are we today?
00:17So right now, we're here in Ashton Court Estate,
00:19our home for the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta for the last 47 years.
00:24And tell me a little bit about the 47th International Balloon Fiesta.
00:28So we've got just shy of 100 hot air balloons registered for this weekend.
00:34This is, yeah, 47th, as I said earlier.
00:36And we've got a whole programme of entertainment planned
00:38throughout the weekend and throughout the three days,
00:40from Friday through to Sunday.
00:42Obviously, our massive scents are scheduled daily at 6am and 6pm,
00:46weather permitting.
00:47And then our nightclothes on Friday and Saturday evening.
00:51And logistically, this has been a mammoth task, right?
00:54Every year, it takes a whole year to plan the next one.
00:57What can we expect going forward?
01:00So we've got a whole jam-packed arena scheduled this afternoon.
01:04We've got motorcycle display teams.
01:06We've got stunt kites, as well as, obviously, our ballooning activity.
01:10In addition, this year, we're really proud to introduce two new features to the fiesta.
01:13So we've got In the Clouds, where visitors can actually go inside
01:16a cold inflated balloon envelope.
01:18And there's a beautiful film that's playing in there
01:20of the very first balloon in Europe, built by Don Cameron, called Bristol Bell.
01:25And then we've got Flight Control, which is at the bottom, just behind us here.
01:29And that's actually mapping where the balloons are landing in partnership with GWR.
01:33Anna, the International Balloon Fiesta has become iconic to Bristol.
01:37Why do you think locals have really got behind it?
01:39And it's really become part of kind of who we are as Bristolians?
01:42Yeah, I think you're right.
01:43I think balloons are in the DNA of the city now.
01:46And I think that's because of the history that comes with it.
01:48You know, Don built the Bristol Bell with some friends back in 1960s
01:53and then founded the Balloon Fiesta.
01:55He obviously founded the factory here,
01:57which has now become the world's largest manufacturer of hot air balloons.
02:00And that connection has built this incredibly,
02:03really strong local community of balloonists around us.
02:06And it just makes this even more special.
02:08And thousands and thousands of people turn up
02:10just for the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.
02:13Tell me a little bit about that.
02:15Why do you think so many people come from all over the world to Bristol?
02:20I think part of it is the love of that history.
02:23But equally, we've got an incredibly compact arena,
02:25as you can see around us.
02:27That means that when the balloons take off,
02:28you really do get this kaleidoscope of colour,
02:31which you probably don't get anywhere else.
02:33So that is a spectacle.
02:34It just makes memories that last a lifetime
02:37and people buy into that.
02:38And going forward then, looking forward to the next 47 years,
02:42are we hoping this is going to keep growing?
02:45Are we hoping it's going to still be here?
02:47I'd love to think.
02:48At the moment, our focus is on the 50th in 2028.
02:51And we've got a strategy at the moment
02:53that's taking us every year up to that.
02:54And that's definitely the primary aim at the moment.
02:57Yeah.
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