Bristol Balloon Fiesta 2022: Festival-goers hit out at 'traffic chaos' as drivers miss mass ascent
Festival-goers travelling to the Bristol Balloon Fiesta say they faced 'traffic chaos' and a 'shambles' to get into the site this morning.
Some drivers were stuck trying to get into the car parks for so long that they missed the mass ascent. Organisers say they had the largest-ever number of cars arriving on site.
The event's first mass ascent took to the skies above the city first thing this morning (12 August), after yesterday's had to be cancelled because of unpredictable winds.
But the event did not get off to a smooth start for some of those driving to Ashton Court Estate.
Watch first mass ascent of Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
Andrea Brewster said: "Just tried to watch the morning launch at Bristol Balloon Fiesta - Paid over £20 for a car park that opened so late we missed an hour of the ascent. Roads in gridlock around the site. This is not acceptable."
One visitor took to social media to complain, writing: "Steer clear of the Bristol Balloon Festival as the traffic is disorganised chaos, two-hour journey yet we live just 20 mins away!"
While another said: "Disorganised traffic chaos at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta, shambles, stay clear."
Organisers say there were two 'vehicle incidents' around Ashton Court which added to pressure on the road network and one of the gates was late to open.
Following the complaints, a spokesperson for the Bristol Balloon Fiesta said: "We apologise to anyone who missed the mass ascent while they were still trying to enter the carparks.
"We want to reassure everyone that we are thoroughly debriefing this now to ensure it will not happen again.
"Thanks to everyone who turned out to support our balloonists and the event this morning and we hope you have a lovely rest of the day at the fiesta."
They add that they will be opening the carparks at 5am for the rest of the weekend to ensure people have enough time to get on site.
It comes after it was announced last month that there would be no shuttle buses to the site because of a driver shortage.