Culture
Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon Soars Above England For Balloon Fiesta
Supporters raised over £5,000 for Darth to appear at the fiesta.
Thousands of guests will arrive upon Bristol this weekend for the 41st Bristol International Balloon Festival.
The European largest ballooning event will be featuring four days of displays with over 130 colorful hot air balloons joining from across the world.
Balloons float over the Clifton Suspension Bridge at Europe’s largest annual meeting of hot air balloons
Shockingly on Thursday, a Darth Vader balloon soars to the skies above the Bristol for the first time – after a crowdfunding campaign.
Hundreds of balloons of different shapes and sizes will be hoping to fly over the coming weekend and a panther balloon takes off on the first day of the festival.
The balloon took part in a mass ascent alongside with about 56 other balloons from countries like Taiwan and Japan. Waving and cheering at the Darth Vader balloon, it flew over the city’s landmarks including the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Historic Harbor.
Dozens of colorful balloons leave the ground from the Ashton Court Estate in Bristol and take to the skies
Initially, the yearly fiesta’s mass ascents normally begin on Friday morning, but an extra flight was programmed this year as a result of high winds and forecast rain.
This year has already seen an imaginative array of balloon designs
The giant Darth Vader hot air balloon took to the skies above Bristol for the first time following a crowdfunding campaign.
Supporters raised more than £5,000 for Darth Vader to appear at the fiesta
Ian Martin was the team lead for the fiesta and co-piloted Darth Vader was on its Bristol flight. “The major pilot is from Belgium, so the two of us flew and we worked to make the flight.”Mr. Martin said.
The yearly fiesta’s mass ascents normally begin on Friday morning, but an extra flight was programmed this year as a result of high winds and forecast rain
Mr. Martin has however flown more than 150 balloons over his career. He added: “I have never flown in Darth Vader before, and sincerely it was emotional because of the effort we put in it over the last 24-48 hours.
Hot air balloons take to the skies as they participate in the mass ascent
As low pressure sweeps in over the weekend, there’s heavy showers and strong winds predicted, which could impact the balloon ascents
We would like to appreciate the public for all the support they gave to us. Viewers were so happy to see it and we had people come to our landing spot – people who had followed it across cities.”
An adorable Koala hot air balloon was a notable addition to this year’s fiesta
An eye-catching bear hot air balloon was seen waving to the crowds
However, Darth Vader supporters have raised over £5,000 to appear at the fiesta. And right after the fiesta flight, a Facebook page said: “Darth is home.”
The event features four days of displays, with more than 130 colorful hot air balloons
