Organisers of this summer’s Bristol’s International Balloon Fiesta are to champion the city’s ‘unsung heroes’ by inviting them to join hot air balloon rides taking off from their own communities.
The team are calling on Bristolians to put forward community-spirited candidates to enjoy the ride-of-a-lifetime, as well as nominating potential take-off locations for the balloons. 
The unprecedented flights will take to the skies above the city during the final countdown towards this year’s fiesta, which takes place from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 August.
The scheme forms part of an ambitious five-year plan to help the iconic event soar to ever-greater heights as it heads towards its 50th anniversary in 2028, as well as futureproofing it to keep the spectacle alive for generations to come.
This celebration of Bristol’s remarkable community figures has been inspired by the not-for-profit fiesta’s founding constitution.
Since its launch 46 years ago, the fiesta’s volunteers have been committed to offering a free event that celebrates Bristol, and its heritage links to the world of hot air ballooning.
As well as injecting millions of pounds into the local economy every year, the fiesta has become synonymous with the city itself.
This year the fiesta is being reduced from four to three days in a bid to bring down the spiralling costs of staging the event from around £1.1m last year to closer to £830,000.
Coinciding with this is a push to make it more community focused, with the period from Monday 5 August to Thursday 8 August now named as ‘Fiesta Week’ with a fleet of hot air balloons popping up in areas across the city in a series of local morning launches.
Fiesta executive director Ben Hardy said: “We are excited to announce our very first series of community launches and our plans to celebrate the city’s superheroes.
“We want to reach out into communities across the city and to the people of Bristol, who are at the heart of everything we do and to celebrate these local heroes.
“We are looking for local superstars who dedicate their time to supporting other people, making a positive difference within their communities and who have shown bravery or simply inspired others.
“To make the experience extra-special we are keen to hear where the people of Bristol and surrounding areas want to see hot air balloons launch from – whether that be school grounds, parks and community grounds or even wackier spots.
“Wherever the flights begin, this celebration of local superheroes will add an exciting new dimension to the fiesta and underlines our commitment to engage with Bristol’s diverse communities as much as possible to ensure the iconic event soars to new heights.
“It will be very much a city-wide effort and we want to hear about those people and those communities that make our city so special so they can sample the magic of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in their own backyards.”
The deadline for applications is Friday 5th July and selections will be made by Monday 15th July. Nominations are being invited for both a local hero and a community launch site but applications for just a local hero or just a local launch site are also welcome.
To make a nomination, click here
