A balloon festival is to compete with the Big Ben, Cricket and the Mini-Skirt for icons of England?

Yes, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, taking place from Thursday to Sunday, has been nominated as a national icon in the on-line competition launched by Britain's culture ministry in January.

"The Fiesta has grown year after year, flourishing into what has become Europe's largest hot air balloon event. I go every year and there is no better way of seeing what has been achieved for Bristol and the UK, and it deserves to be an icon of Britain at its best," Sarah King who initiated the event for Icons of Britain said.

Thousands of people from Britain and other parts of the world have flocked to the annual air balloon festival, now the most important festival in the city about 300 km west of London and found themselves fascinated by the grotesque shapes of baboons flying in the air.

This year, 133 balloons appeared in the event, including a flying cathedral from Switzerland, a New Zealand kiwi bird, an LG Mobil phone from Spain, a tortoise and a mouth-watering orange segment from Belgium.

Paul Borrows, balloon pilot for the New Zealand Kiwi Bird said, "the kiwi balloon is very funny, as the real kiwi bird doesn't actually fly. So, this is the only flying kiwi in the world!"

The Kiwi Bird was not the only balloon that caught visitors' attention at the Fiesta. Even more eye-catching was a Monster Trump which was 30 meters high and 29 meters wide, equaling in size to the height of a three-story house and the width of six London buses.

With mass balloon launches, spectacular fireworks display, arena entertainment and open-air night concerts, the festival, which charges no entrance fee, is expected to attract up to 500,000 visitors.

Debuting in 1979 with only 27 balloons, the fiesta has now become the biggest summer holiday in Europe. Today, with the participation of some world-known brands such as Discovery Channel, the IKEA and Swiss Watch, the fiesta has become more than a balloon show, but also an international platform for businesses to display their cultures.

Source: Xinhua