It was shocking when the locals discovered the huge figure of Darth Vader’s head hovering over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The Star Wars villain was included in this mass take off, accompanied by 56 other balloons from countries around the world, including Japan and Taiwan.

Ian Martin is the head of the ballooning team for the fiesta and he co-piloted the balloon.

In an interview, he told Mail Online that he feeling sentimental. He spent the past two days working up for this ascent. The experienced pilot informed that the main pilot was from Belgium so the two of them flew and worked together to do the flight. He had never flown in Darth Vader before. He further said that this was close to their heart as they had put all their efforts over the past 24-48 hours to make this event successful. He was grateful to the public for all the support they have given them.

People were so thrilled to see it. They had people following the balloon so that they could visit the landing spot and have a closer look.

This magnificent balloon was set up by in Bristol 12 years ago by Cameron Balloons. However, up until today, the balloon – which had popped up in all corners of the globe, appearing in Australia and the United States – had never flown over the city.

But this year, supporters managed to raise more than £5,000 to see Lord Vader return home for the fiesta.

According to reports, the money raised will now go to supporting the event, which costs organizers £750,000 each year to run.

Sharing a photograph of the balloon on the event’s official Twitter page, a Bristol Balloon Fiesta spokesperson said they were happy to finally see Vader back.

The group wrote: “A Bristol icon over another icon of this fine city! Is anyone else feeling very proud right now?”

Meanwhile, in a post to Facebook after the mass ascent, the balloon’s own page read: “Darth is home.”

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