(Minghui.org) Over 300,000 people attended the 47th Bristol Balloon Fiesta August 8 to 10, 2025. Practitioners set up a booth at Ashton Court, where they introduced Falun Dafa and taught the exercises for free. They also explained how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes Falun Dafa and kills practitioners for their organs. Many people signed petitions calling to end the brutalities, and some Chinese renounced their memberships in the CCP organizations.
The Bristol Balloon Fiesta is one of the largest hot air balloon festivals in Europe. This is the third year Falun Dafa practitioners have participated. Their golden dragon attracted a great deal of attention and matched the golden yellow outfits they wore when they demonstrated the exercises. Many people stopped to watch, took videos or photos, and took information about Falun Dafa.
Falun Dafa practitioners participated in the 47th Bristol Balloon Fiesta.
Demonstrating the Falun Dafa exercises
A special publication about the balloon festival, What’s On Bristol, included a brief description of Falun Dafa and information about local practice sites. Many people were interested and came to the booth to learn the exercises. They also signed the petitions urging an end to the persecution.
What’s On Bristol included information about Falun Dafa
Participants sign the petition calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution.
Strong Energy
Impressed by the calm movements, two young tourists from Italy came to learn the exercises. After trying them for 20 minutes, they said they could feel energy flowing and said that it made them feel very comfortable.
One of them said, “The practice is very effective at improving health. How could the CCP suppress something so good?” When they heard there was an Italian language version of the Falun Dafa website (falundafa.org), they were excited and said they would visit it to learn more about the practice.
While the Italian tourists were learning the exercises, a Chinese student stood nearby and followed along to do the movements.
Exposing the Atrocities
Freelancer Anne-Marie
Anne-Marie, a freelancer, said she had read about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa and knew about the forced organ harvesting. She could hardly believe it was true, so she talked with a practitioner.
“It is hard to imagine someone being persecuted for meditating and even killed for his or her organs,” she said. “Something like this should not be happening. Falun Dafa and the principles of the Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are so beneficial.” She said the suppression was “disgusting” and thought that the news media should be reporting on it widely and that the UK and other governments should condemn the atrocity.
Supporting the Honorable
Emma and her two daughters
Emma, a teacher, came to the booth with her two daughters. After they signed the petitions, Emma told several friends about it and she brought them to the booth so they could sign.
She said Falun Dafa practitioners are good people, and she likes to support those who are honorable. “The principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are great, and you are remarkable. It’s wrong for the CCP to persecute you like this—a government cannot take away someone’s freedom or life like this.”
Matthew, a project manager, stopped to watch the exercise demonstration and said he liked the inner peace. Speaking of the suppression in China, he said the CCP is bad and that’s why it cannot tolerate Falun Dafa. “I’ve read books about Falun Dafa and didn’t see anything wrong with it.”
He encouraged the practitioners to keep up their efforts: “The suppression is a crime. We should stop it.”
The Importance of Religious Freedom
A Chinese student said his entire family in China were Christians. Before they could attend church services, his parents were forced to sign documents that said they supported the CCP. He said this indicates how comprehensive religious suppression is in China.
He said that many people know the CCP fabricated propaganda to slander Falun Dafa, one example being the staged self-immolation incident on Tiananmen Square. “Both the participants and the police officers performed as if they were on stage. A real self-immolation would not be like that. The CCP just wants to suppress people who have beliefs,” he explained. His friend agreed and said she’d already quit the Young Pioneers, one of the CCP’s youth organizations.
Many festival attendees said they hoped the situation in China would change. “Mankind needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” one of them remarked.
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