The Empire may have existed in a galaxy far, far away but it seems as if Darth Vader has now made his way to Bristol, England. Of course, you don’t have to be afraid of the Empire taking over and in fact, it is a rather benign form of the Dark Lord that you will see in the skies above Bristol. When you look up, don’t be surprised if you see a giant Darth Vader head floating in the skies above.
It isn’t some type of intergalactic invasion, it is a part of a balloon Festival that is taking place in the Bristol area. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is the largest yearly meeting of hot air balloons from around the globe. It takes place from August 8th through August 11th.
Interestingly, there are more than 130 hot air balloons that will be at the event but this Darth Vader balloon is flying above Bristol for the first time. That is true, even though it was made in Bristol and has visited cities from around the world.
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta used a crowdfunding campaign to collect donations so that the balloon could be brought home for the event. Well over $6000 was collected in donations.
There is also another reason why Star Wars fans around the world appreciate the fact that the hot air balloon featuring Darth Vader flew over Bristol. It is the birthplace of the actor who played Vader in the original trilogy, David Prowse. He was the man inside of the suit, even though James Earl Jones was the familiar voice behind the mask.
Mark Hamill also chimed in with approval over the Darth Vader balloon:
After a horrible, no good, terrible week, there's nothing quite like a giant floating #DarthVader balloon to distract from reality & raise your spirits. #ThanksDad https://t.co/Js4J0Pb2WK
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) August 8, 2019
Let’s face it, if Luke Skywalker is on board with the balloon, we should all be on board with it.
Source: Mashable