The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta will return to its usual home of Ashton Court Estate for three days this summer, in August. It will be 44 years since the first event, back in 1979, and the fiesta has certainly changed through the decades.
More than 100 balloons will take part in a mass ascent and an estimated 500,000 visitors are expected to attend the event across four days from August 10 - 13. Over the years, the balloon fiesta has played host to some cracking memories for Bristol featuring star-studded musical lineups and, as always, an array of funky balloons to look up at and take part in the night glow.
Ahead of this year’s fiesta, BristolWorld has dug through the archive and pulled 20 pictures from 2004 - a particularly strong year for the event. Peter Andre, Sugababes, Jamelia and more artists performed to packed crowds and thousands watched as the balloons lit up a warm summer night all those years ago.
Here are 19 pictures from that year - were you there?