'Unbelievable' fiesta despite no final mass ascent

There was plenty of sunshine on the last day of the 2026 Bristol International Balloon Fiesta but, unfortunately, no final mass ascent.

Despite the warm weather and clear skies overhead, festival organisers had to cancel the 18:00 BST launch due to windy conditions at Ashton Court.

However, the three-day-event had five successful mass ascents, with organisers describing it as an "unbelievable year".

Here are some of the highlights in pictures.

The fiesta saw hundreds of balloons fly over the city and surrounding area

Lucky with the weather: Five out of six mass ascents took place this weekend.

Ben Hardy, the executive director of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, said the team and balloonists "had a lot of fun" this year.

Light up: Crowds were dazzled by the nightglows on Friday and Saturday evening.

Congratulations: Jacob asked Poppy to marry him in the midst of the nightglow - and she said yes!

Day one: More than 80 balloons ascended over the Bristol sky, of all shapes and sizes, on Friday morning.

Special shapes: Crowds got to see a variety of special shapes over the weekend, like this giant scarecrow.

One of the special shaped balloons was a huge, blue suitcase - this picture shows the scale of its interior.

Keep it moo-ving: This cow-shaped balloon was spotted in the air.

New additions: This year's festival featured several new special shapes, such as the suitcase and Astrina the Alien.

All smiles: The crowd at Ashton Court were thrilled by the nightglow.

Full house: Ashton Court was at full capacity by Saturday evening, which led festival organisers to close the site.

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