Bristol and the Cotswolds, England
Shared seats start at £169 to £180 and flights run March to October, many from Bath's Royal Victoria Park. The free Bristol fiesta returns to Ashton Court on 13 to 15 August 2027.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Weight limit | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Balloon flight voucher (shared basket)Includes Pilot briefing, Drink on landing (fizz or orange juice), Flight certificate |
£169 per person |
3-4 hour experience, about an hour in the air |
12 to 16 passengers per basket, depending on launch site |
7+ and at least 4ft 6in tall | Weight supplement may apply above 18 stone | Vouchers non-refundable unless stated; weather cancellations rebook free and extend the voucher 6 months. Any Day Plus adds a weather refund option. | Check dates | |
Group FlightsIncludes Safety briefing, Celebratory drink after landing, Crew return to the meeting point |
£180 per person |
2.5 to 3 hours total, around an hour in the air |
Max 8 passengers |
All flights subject to the weather on the day; vouchers valid 12 months from purchase. No refund terms on the page. | Check dates | |||
Bath Balloon Rides (shared basket)Includes Post-flight bubbly (not on weekday morning shared flights), GoPro footage and 3D flight track, Pilot commentary, Safety briefing |
£180 per person |
3 to 3.5 hours total, 45 to 60 minutes in the air |
Max 8 passengers per shared basket |
7+ | Over 18 stone (115 kg) needs a weight supplement (two vouchers) on shared flights | Weather cancellations rebook free; changes free until 5 days out, £25 per person within 5 days, none within 48 hours. | Check dates | |
Balloon Fiesta 2027 |
£300 per person |
Check dates | ||||||
Bristol Balloon Fiesta Shared Flight Voucher (per person) |
£310 per person |
7+ | 114 kg (18 st) per person | Check dates | ||||
Premium Balloon FlightIncludes Safety briefing, Bottle of Champagne after the flight, 4x4 transport back to the launch site |
£800 per group |
3 to 4 hours total, 40 minutes to an hour in the air |
2 to 5 passengers plus pilot |
7+; under 16s with an adult; must see over the 4ft 4in basket | 114 kg (18 st) per person | Go or no-go sent by WhatsApp or email so you can rebook; no-shows forfeit the voucher. Vouchers valid 18 months. | Check dates | |
Premier FlightsIncludes Safety briefing, Celebratory drink after landing, Crew return to the meeting point |
£900 per group |
2.5 to 3 hours total, around an hour in the air |
Private sport balloon for a couple |
Subject to the weather on the day; vouchers valid 12 months from purchase. | Check dates | |||
Private Hot Air Balloon RidesIncludes Post-flight bubbly, GoPro footage and 3D flight track, Pilot commentary, Safety briefing |
£900 per group |
3 to 3.5 hours total, 45 to 60 minutes in the air |
up to 8 passengers per balloon |
7+ | Check dates | |||
Private GroupsIncludes Safety briefing, Celebratory drink after landing, Crew return to the meeting point |
£2,000 per group |
2.5 to 3 hours total, around an hour in the air |
Group of 8 |
Subject to the weather on the day; vouchers valid 12 months from purchase. | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 21, 2026. How we compare.
Royal Victoria Park, the 23-hectare (57-acre) park below the Royal Crescent, is the Bath launch field for Virgin Balloon Flights and Fly Away Ballooning. Virgin's crew meets in its top north-east corner, on the open grass opposite the children's Adventure Playground, rather than in front of the Crescent itself. Its back-up site is Bath Newbridge, and it points drivers to the Charlotte Street pay and display car park (BA1 2NE). Fly Away says its morning flights usually leave from the Bath Pumpkin Patch (BA2 9EU) because of council noise restrictions.
Sky High Ballooning flies from Bristol, from Newton St Loe near Bath and from Stroud in Gloucestershire, picking the site by that day's wind direction and telling passengers if it moves. First Flight launches from Keynsham, the Chew Valley, Langford and Churchill, Cheddar, Wedmore, Wells, Glastonbury and Taunton, and texts the chosen site the day before. Fly Away also settles on its field the day before, from the wind and the area it plans to cross.
Over Bristol, First Flight names Brunel's suspension bridge and the harbourside; over Bath, the Royal Crescent and the Abbey. Beyond the cities it lists the Chew Valley lakes with the Welsh mountains in the distance, the gorge at Cheddar and Glastonbury Tor. Its balloons fly anywhere from treetop height to about 3,000 feet. Virgin's Bath page adds Salisbury Plain and Stonehenge to the possible views.
First Flight publishes likely meeting times by month. Morning meets run from 6:30 am in March to 5:30 am in June and 7 am in October. Evening meets run from 3:30 pm in March to 6:30 pm in June and July. It texts the site and time the day before and says times can shift up to 30 minutes either way. Virgin passengers ring a flight line at 11 pm before a morning flight, or from 2 pm on the day for an evening one (noon in March, September and October).
Virgin and Fly Away both begin with a cold inflation (Fly Away uses a fan) before the pilot heats the envelope upright, and both invite passengers to help. Fly Away's pilots demonstrate the landing position before take-off and say a landing can be a stand-up stop or a drag across the grass. Virgin and First Flight quote around an hour in the air, Fly Away 45 to 60 minutes and Sky High 40 minutes to an hour. The whole outing takes about 2.5 to 3 hours with First Flight, 3 to 3.5 hours with Fly Away and 3 to 4 hours with Virgin and Sky High.
A ground crew follows each balloon by road, and Virgin asks spectators not to chase it themselves. Virgin passengers help deflate the envelope, then get a glass of fizz or orange juice and a certificate endorsed by Sir Richard Branson. First Flight serves a celebratory drink in the landing field and drives everyone back to the meeting point. Fly Away pours bubbly on every flight except weekday morning shared ones and sends GoPro footage and a 3D flight track. Sky High serves Champagne or orange juice once the balloon is packed away.
Virgin's season runs March to October, with some regional variation, and it releases the next year's dates as each season closes. Fly Away also flies March to October. Sky High calls April to October the better-weather months but will fly on a cold, clear winter morning. First Flight publishes meeting times only for March to October and asks winter flyers to contact it. All four fly in the early morning or the evening, which First Flight and Sky High say is when the air is calmest.
Virgin says some passengers fly at their first attempt while others book several times before getting airborne. Each time it cancels, it extends the voucher so at least six months remain to rebook. Fly Away grants a free 12-month extension once it has cancelled four attempts. Standard vouchers at both are non-refundable; Virgin's Any Day Plus voucher, and an optional add-on to Fly Away's Anyday voucher, add a weather refund.
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta takes over Ashton Court Estate, on the edge of Bristol, for three days each August. Entry is free, more than 100 balloons take part, and mass ascents are set for about 6 am and 6 pm, with nightglows after dark on Friday and Saturday. Wind decides each ascent: pilots are briefed just before the slot, and a countdown and smoke cannon signal the go. The 2026 fiesta ran 7 to 9 August, and the next runs Friday 13 to Sunday 15 August 2027.
Virgin Balloon Flights flies the biggest baskets here, 12 to 16 people split into four compartments, with shared flights from £169. Its vouchers range from Weekday Morning to Any Day Plus, last 12 months and work at more than 100 UK launch sites. Only Any Day Plus carries a weather refund option. Children must be 7 and at least 4ft 6in tall. First Flight and Fly Away Ballooning never put more than 8 in a shared basket.
First Flight charges £180 for weekday mornings, £200 for weekday mornings or evenings and £220 for any day, with vouchers valid 12 months. Its Premier flight puts a couple in a private sport balloon for £900, and a group of 8 can take a whole balloon for £2,000. Fly Away starts at £180 and adds GoPro footage and a 3D flight track to every flight. Its Anyday voucher lasts 18 months and weekday vouchers 12. Changes are free until 5 days out and cost £25 per person after that, with none allowed inside 48 hours.
Sky High Ballooning flies only private balloons, apart from shared seats at the Bristol fiesta and the Midlands Air Festival. One basket takes 2 or 3 passengers and the other 4 or 5, at £800 to £1,200 for the whole balloon, and its FAQ puts voucher validity at 18 months. Weight rules differ: Fly Away sells a second seat to shared passengers over 18 stone (115 kg), and Sky High caps everyone at 114 kg (18 st). Fly Away, Sky High and Virgin all set a minimum age of 7. For the 2027 fiesta, First Flight sells mass-ascent seats at £300.
from £169 per person
Balloon flight voucher (shared basket)
Took over flights from Bristol's Bailey Balloons when its owners retired after 27+ years
from £180 per person
Group Flights and 3 more options
Flying passengers since 1990
from £180 per person
Bath Balloon Rides (shared basket) and 1 more option
Free GoPro footage and a 3D flight track on every flight
from £310 per person
Bristol Balloon Fiesta Shared Flight Voucher (per person) and 1 more option
Shared flights only at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta and Midlands Air Festival; all other flights are private
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 21, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.
