Shortened Balloon Fiesta helps cut £100k deficit

The 2024 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta was shortened from four days to three

Organisers of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta have said there is "still work to be done" after taking steps to strengthen the event's finances.

Since the Covid pandemic, the fiesta had been operating at a loss and following the 2023 event, the annual deficit stood at £100,000.

The 2024 event was shortened from four days to three because of rising costs, and the move has helped reduce the deficit to £15,000.

Ben Hardy, executive director, said: "While there's still work to be done to address the full financial picture, we must take a minute to give our gratitude for the great show of support we've received from the city."

The Ashton Court event has been a staple in the city's calendar for almost five decades

In recent years, the free, not-for-profit event has been blighted by poor weather as well as the pandemic, inflation and other rising costs.

Mr Hardy said earlier this year that reducing the event from four days to three would make it a more sustainable model and safeguard its future.

An economic impact survey identified it as Bristol's most valuable outdoor event - injecting £22.2m into the city's economy in 2023 alone.

Some £14.7m of this was "new expenditure", organisers say, which without the event would not have been spent in Bristol.

"While work remains to make up for financial losses over the last few years, this year's progress gives organisers renewed optimism for the event's future and longevity as it approaches its 50th anniversary in 2028," Mr Hardy said.

The 2025 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta will take place from 8 - 10 August.