Problem
I keep meaning to go to the British balloon festival in Bristol but never make it. I've been keen since I saw the lovely big balloons flying over Albuquerque in the USA on the continent of America. I was in the USA doing something else, but could not help seeing the gorgeous coloured balloons, visible from afar, even though I was not in the grounds of the festival.
The BBC article revealed something I had not realised before about the balloon festival in Bristol. It was started by the Cameron business in Bristol which manufactures balloons. It's a wonder more manufacturers don't do this. An annual car parade for a car manufacturing plant, an annual regatta near a shipbuilding port, a bicycle race around a bicycle producing factory, a hat parade around a hat shop, a food float parade around a restaurant district. It all costs time and money, space, road closures, policing.
London's major upcoming events are the Lord Mayor's parade in London, and Armistice Day November 11th. Put those dates in your diary to watch on TV or attend. Meanwhile, if you can get to Bristol and it's a four-day event.
Gosh - what can stop a balloon? Apparently, it never happened before in England, I thought. I would expect hot weather, the danger of fire and smoke, spoiling the view, setting a fire, might be a hazard. Not the reverse. I can see that rain is bad for photos, and dampens the enthusiasm for going out for the day. Flooding of a field would be bad if you can't get to a take-off site.
Plenty of material for a novel writer wanting to do a revised version of Jules Verne's' around the world in Eighty days (in a balloon).
But, apparently, rain means no flights - if they can't land safely. My first thought was would the wet would dampen the sparking mechanism. But there's also the issue of a safe place to land.
I supposed people from afar would prefer the flights, and if you are paying for flights, or being paid to organise flights, that's not good news. However, if you just like to look at big balloons, a field full of tethered balloons is still great fun.
Meanwhile, check out the balloons events around the world.
See my previous posts on Bristol balloons and balloons in the USA. Please share links to your favourite posts.
Useful Websites
UK
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-45142231
visitbritain.org
visitbritain.com
visitbritainshop.com
visitbristol.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment