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Two 'cultural icons' to be in city on same weekend

Alexandra BassinghamWest of England
BBC Musicians playing instruments inside a rainbow coloured hot air balloon as it opens up, with lights shining inside it. There are around eight musicians playing violins, a trombone, cello, harp, and clarinet. The men are wearing white or black smart suits and three of the women are wearing black skirts and turquoise long sleeved silk-style tops and one is in a long sleeved whited top and a long white skirt. They are standing on the rainbow material of the balloon as it surrounds them. BBC
BBC Proms and the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta will both be held in Bristol from 7-9 August

Top ensemble musicians from across the south-west of England played inside a hot air balloon in celebration of two "cultural icons" heading to Bristol over the same weekend.

The BBC Proms will be held at the Bristol Beacon for the third time since the venue's reopening in November 2023, on the same weekend as Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.

Ben Hardy, executive director of the fiesta, said it was great to be "joining these two cultural icons," which will make for an "amazing" weekend in the summer.

Both events will be held from 7 to 9 August.

"Sometimes we play down what is possible and what we're capable of doing here in in Bristol and across the west of England culturally but it's a really rich… amazing place to come and enjoy all sorts of culture," said Hardy.

"Whether you're into classical music, more modern music, or hot air balloons gracefully floating across our city… what an amazing summer it's going to be," he added.

Hardy wearing round tortoiseshell glasses with his dark blond hair slicked back and smiling at the camera. He is wearing an off-white shirt with a grey jacket over the top. A rainbow hot air balloon is behind him.
Ben Hardy, executive director of the fiesta, said it was great to be "joining these two cultural icons"

Hardy said a short recorded piece from the BBC concert orchestra will be played during the opening ceremony of the balloon fiesta.

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Jonathan Harper is chief executive of Paraorchestra, an ensemble of disabled and non-disabled musicians. He said running the "best balloon fiesta in the world and the greatest world classical music festival" on the same weekend was "really important" for Bristol.

Jonathan Harper smiling at the camera. He has dark hair worn in a short style and has a slightly grey-ing beard. He is wearing a green T-shirt and a charcoal or navy blazer. Harper is standing in front of a rainbow hot air balloon.
Harper said the balloon fiesta and the BBC Proms were "really important" for Bristol

The Paraorchestra is an associate artist of the Bristol Beacon, which Harper said will make the BBC Proms even more special.

"We're proudly Bristolian," he said. "The combination of the world's greatest classical music festival and the venue we call our home is a really, really fantastic playground for us to create and present new work to Bristol audiences," he added.

The Paraorchestra will perform a piece of work by New York composer Steve Rife. He said the piece was "hard to play" and so "may be a bit nerve-wracking".

The performance will not only be for the live audience at the Beacon, but will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

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