Longleat has described its Icons of the Sky 2026 event as a “phenomenal weekend” despite low cloud and strong winds forcing the cancellation of most flying activities on the final day.
The three-day event saw Longleat’s own lion and koala hot air balloons, Simbaloo and Adelaide, take centre stage, appearing both in the skies above the estate and tethered on the ground.
One of the highlights was a display by the RAF Falcons, with helmet-mounted video footage capturing their descent into Longleat in Wiltshire.
Simon Askew, Chief Operating Officer at Longleat, said the parachute display was among a series of highlights during the event.
“It was one of many breathtaking air displays and of course we had the mass balloon ascent kicking off the three days on Friday morning,” he said.
Nightglows accompanied by music and fireworks brought each day’s festivities to a close, with the additional evening events available to visitors as extras to the standard day ticket.
However, poor weather affected the final day of the event on Sunday.
Low cloud reduced visibility across Longleat, the surrounding area and at the airfields from which many of the aircraft were due to take off. Strong winds also made it unsafe for hot air balloons to fly, leaving only limited tethering possible.
Longleat therefore took the decision to stop the remaining event activities on safety grounds rather than leave visitors waiting for conditions to improve.
Askew said: “Overall, it was a phenomenal weekend, and it was lovely to see so many families spanning different generations here.
“We really appreciated the positive comments and feedback that safety must always come first and the work which went into providing these additional activities to our day ticket.
“This type of event is always weather dependent, and we are always clear about that in all our information.”
The event also formed part of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of Longleat’s Drive-Through Safari, with a giant 100ft birthday cake balloon featuring in one of the nightglows.
Longleat thanked the balloonists, pilots, teams and crews involved in the event, as well as visitors who attended during the three days.
“We would like to thank every single balloonist, pilot, team and crews who have worked tremendously hard to ensure we had two days of spectacular displays and to all our guests for supporting the event,” said Askew.
