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In Pictures: Blue skies as Bristol balloon fiesta gets up, up and away

By PA News Agency
The first mass hot air balloon ascent of the festival took place on Friday morning in Bristol (Ben Birchall/PA)
The first mass hot air balloon ascent of the festival took place on Friday morning in Bristol (Ben Birchall/PA)
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Dozens of hot air balloons filled the skies above Bristol on Friday for the city’s annual fiesta. The mass ascent for the 48th Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, one of the largest in Europe, took place at the Grade I-listed Ashton Court Estate.

Hot air balloons on the ground at Ashton Court Estate
Hot air balloons bobble on the ground at Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, as balloon crews prepare for the 2026 Bristol Balloon Fiesta (Ben Birchall/PA)
Crews pushing hot air balloons into position
Crews push hot air balloons into position before lift-off (Ben Birchall/PA)
Hot air balloons in the sky
Balloons of all shapes and sizes take part in the fiesta (Ben Birchall/PA)
Hot air balloons in the sky in a mass ascent
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is an annual free festival of hot air ballooning (Ben Birchall/PA)

The free, three-day event that began on Friday celebrates the city of Bristol and its links to hot air ballooning.

Close-up of balloon with eye design
Imaginative designs are a trademark of the festival (Ben Birchall/PA)
A pilot checking internal rigging inside one colourful balloon
A pilot checks internal rigging inside one colourful balloon (Ben Birchall/PA)
An alien hot air balloon floating high above the ground
An alien hot air balloon floats high above the ground (Ben Birchall/PA)
Artist Emily Powell painting in a hot air balloon basket
Artist Emily Powell took to the skies to paint from a hot air balloon basket (Ben Birchall/PA)
A balloon pilot checking inside a purple hot air balloon
A hot air balloon pilot makes his final checks (Ben Birchall/PA)
Pilots preparing the hot air balloon burners
Pilots prepare the hot air balloon burners (Ben Birchall/PA)
Crews checking the crown of a hot air balloon with a Union flag design
Crews check the crown of one patriotic hot air balloon (Ben Birchall/PA)
A hot air balloon in the sky over Bristol
A hot air balloon in the sky over Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge (Ben Birchall/PA)

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