The forecast wind at Ashton Court against the figure the CAA publishes for mass take-offs, where the real call gets announced, and everything about the Fiesta that doesn't depend on the weather.
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The mass ascents fly, or they don't, on the day. The Fiesta's flight team decides at 6am and 6pm at Ashton Court and posts the call minutes later — nobody knows before that, including this page, and the organisers say so themselves: they wait until the very last moment to give the balloons the best chance of flying.
What this page can do is show the forecast wind at the launch field against the one figure the Civil Aviation Authority publishes for mass take-offs, point you at the channels where the real call appears, and lay out the things that don't depend on the weather at all — the parking you have to book before you come, the bus that doesn't run on Sunday, and where you can watch from for free.
Next in the programme · Friday, 7 August 2026, 06:00 · Friday morning mass ascent
The forecast surface wind over the launch field is inside the 8 kn figure CAP 1739 gives for mass take-offs, but the forecast gusts are above it.
The decision is made at the slot itself, by the Fiesta's flight team — never by a forecast.
5.2 kn, gusting 10.9 kn, from the NE · 0 mm rain · 100% cloud · 35.3 km visibility
Read from Open-Meteo’s best-match model, 10 km from the launch field.
Where the call is announced
The decision is made by the Fiesta's flight team, not by this page. The Fiesta's own answer, in its own words: “The decision is made by our flight team at 6am and 6pm each day at the event and is announced in the arena and on our social media channels shortly afterwards.” In practice the post has landed anywhere from about three quarters of an hour before a slot to half an hour after it — a 2025 evening cancellation went up at 6.04pm, four minutes after the scheduled ascent.
Announced on: @bristolballoon on X · @bristolballoon on Instagram · Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on Facebook
Everything this page compares a forecast against comes from one document, CAP 1739. It is guidance, written with “should” and “typically” — not a legal cutoff, and not a promise about any particular morning.
“Mass take-offs should only take place in wind speeds of eight knots or less on the surface. When circumstances dictate, especially in gusty wind conditions and when winds exceed eight knots, take-offs may be staged in 'waves' so as to maximise the separation of balloons. The speed of the upper winds should also be considered.”
Forecast updated .
The forecast surface wind over the launch field is inside the 8 kn figure CAP 1739 gives for mass take-offs, but the forecast gusts are above it.
5.2 kn, gusting 10.9 kn, from the NE · 0 mm rain · 100% cloud · 35.3 km visibility
Read from Open-Meteo’s best-match model, 10 km from the launch field.
The forecast surface wind over the launch field is inside the 8 kn figure CAP 1739 gives for mass take-offs, but the forecast gusts are above it.
7.9 kn, gusting 24.1 kn, from the NNE · 0.1 mm rain · 100% cloud · 23.3 km visibility
Read from Open-Meteo’s best-match model, 10 km from the launch field.
A tethered glow, not a mass ascent — the balloons stay on the ground, so it is far less weather-dependent and gets no wind reading here.
The forecast surface wind over the launch field is inside the 8 kn figure CAP 1739 gives for mass take-offs, but the forecast gusts are above it.
4.1 kn, gusting 9.9 kn, from the WNW · 0 mm rain · 0% cloud · 33.1 km visibility
Read from Open-Meteo’s best-match model, 10 km from the launch field.
The forecast surface wind over the launch field is inside the 8 kn figure CAP 1739 gives for mass take-offs, but the forecast gusts are above it.
6.2 kn, gusting 17.5 kn, from the NNE · 0.1 mm rain · 16% cloud · 22.9 km visibility
Counted from slot-by-slot reporting across the 2022–2025 Fiestas: 26 scheduled mass ascents, 11 confirmed flown, 12 confirmed cancelled, one outcome we could not establish, and two 2025 slots where the total is known but not which evening was lost. Every stated cause was wind — speed, gusts, fast upper winds, or the wrong direction. The pattern in those numbers is the time of day, not the year. Night Glows are tethered and far more weather-tolerant: all eight scheduled between 2022 and 2025 went ahead.
| Slots | Flew | Called off | Not established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning ascents (6am) | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Evening ascents (6pm) | 3 | 10 | 1 |
Less than a twenty-minute walk from the site.
Also under twenty minutes' walk.
But it closes to everyone from 6pm to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Every car park ticket must be bought in advance and is single entry — there are none on the gate. They are also non-refundable even if the balloons don't fly or inflate, which the Fiesta states plainly.
Prices rise through tiered releases, so what you pay depends on when you book. First-release prices: Blue car park (Gate 4, next to the site) £16, Red car park (the main public one, with a walk downhill) £10, the accessible car park at Orange Gate £10, motorbikes £10. Later releases run up to £30–£35, and Saturday's Blue releases had already sold out in late July.
Car parks open at 5am, except the Red car park on Friday, which opens at 10am. Last entry is 5pm, strictly. No overnight parking, and no caravans or large motorhomes.
Source: Bristol International Balloon Fiesta — car parking, checked 25 July 2026 (4 days ago).
A Stagecoach shuttle bus runs from Temple Meads via the city centre to the site from 10am daily — £8 adult, £5 under-16, £22 for a group of five, per day, with returns until 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday and 9.30pm on Sunday. Book ahead.
The m2 metrobus runs from Temple Meads to Long Ashton Park & Ride, a short walk from the site, from 6.13am on Friday and 6.20am on Saturday, last return 8.50pm. It does not run on Sunday — worth knowing, because it is the only early-morning public transport to a 6am ascent.
Long Ashton Park & Ride itself is a taxi drop-off point during the Fiesta and you cannot leave a car there. The nearest station is Parson Street, about thirty minutes' walk. You can also walk or cycle in along the Festival Way. If you drive into the city on the way, Bristol's Clean Air Zone may apply.
Source: Bristol International Balloon Fiesta — getting here, checked 25 July 2026 (4 days ago).
On Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August the bridge closes to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists from 6pm until midnight. It is both a walking route to the Ashton Court side and one of the well-known viewing spots, so an evening plan that depends on crossing it needs a rethink.
Blue Badge parking is at the Orange Gate car park, the closest to the site; the permit holder has to be present and the ticket bought in advance.
The accessible viewing area at the bottom of the arena is free but must be pre-booked — one disabled person plus one carer per ticket, and proof of eligibility may be asked for. There are accessible toilets at all three toilet blocks and an AccessoLoo with a hoist near the entrance, and lowered bar counters.
The ground is grass: the Fiesta's own warning is that paths may have uneven spots and can get slippery when wet.
Source: Bristol International Balloon Fiesta — accessibility, checked 25 July 2026 (4 days ago).
Dogs are welcome on a lead — and the Fiesta points out that some dogs are frightened of hot air balloons. Guide dogs are welcome throughout.
The launch field itself is not open to the public; the arena sits in a natural amphitheatre above it. Drones are strictly prohibited at or over the site and an airspace restriction is in place for the duration of the event.
There are road closures around Ashton Court every evening from 7pm. The B3128 closes 9.30pm–11.30pm, and the A370 between Winterstoke Road and Colliters Way closes 9.30pm–midnight on Friday and Saturday. Resident Access Passes are posted to households — two per household, with more on request.
The Night Glow — balloons tethered and lit in sequence to music — is at 9pm on Friday and Saturday only, with the Model Balloons Glow at 8.15pm before it and a soundtrack produced by BBC Radio Bristol. Sunday finishes with a closing ceremony at 6.15pm instead.
There are no fireworks in the published 2026 programme, whatever older listings say. And there is no official campsite at the Fiesta this year.
Everything above is a weather model read over the launch field and compared with one published figure. It is not the decision. Whether the balloons go up is decided at the slot itself by the Fiesta's flight team, and announced on the channels above. Wind, rain, cloud and visibility are model forecasts for a grid cell near the launch field at Ashton Court Estate, not measurements at the field, and the surface wind is only one of the things a flight team weighs. Weather data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Read from Open-Meteo’s best-match model, 10 km from the launch field.
A tethered glow, not a mass ascent — the balloons stay on the ground, so it is far less weather-dependent and gets no wind reading here.
The forecast surface wind over the launch field is inside the 8 kn figure CAP 1739 gives for mass take-offs, but the forecast gusts are above it.
2.8 kn, gusting 9.1 kn, from the NE · 0 mm rain · 0% cloud · 31.6 km visibility
Read from Open-Meteo’s best-match model, 10 km from the launch field.
The forecast surface wind over the launch field is inside the 8 kn figure CAP 1739 gives for mass take-offs, but the forecast gusts are above it.
3.7 kn, gusting 12.8 kn, from the WNW · 0 mm rain · 92% cloud · 56.5 km visibility
Read from Open-Meteo’s best-match model, 10 km from the launch field.
The closing ceremony follows at 6.15pm.