Bristol, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/27/2019 -- Despite very challenging weather conditions the Fundsurfer team were delighted to see the Darth Vader Balloon flying over the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol and more was to come, with Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker himself, tweeting the BBC news video of Darth himself making his way across the Bristol skyline.

Crowdfunding campaigns like this one are often won out through a combination of expertise, from the project creator having the initial brilliant idea, to the marketing, PR and promotion deployed and the funding support and knowledge provided to help them to achieve their goal.

The Star Wars hot air balloon campaign was launched by the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, the largest annual meeting of hot air balloons from around the world, who thought it would be fantastic to for the Darth Vader hot air balloon, which was made in Bristol to lead the mass ascent and be featured at this years festival.

So why a Star Wars balloon in Bristol? The actor David Prowse who played Darth Vader is from Bristol, although he might be more famous as the first Green Cross Code man.

With a lot of hard work and effort put in across social media marketing, press and promotion The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta was able to collect enough donations to bring Darth Vader home. Cheering up Luke Skywalker through flying a giant Darth Vader head through the air is a pretty historical and special moment for the festival and there were fantastic scenes on the ground, with everyone so happy to get pictures with Darth, even if the weather was really difficult for the balloonists to deal with.

Crowdfunding can be a very successful way to fund the weird and wonderful things that make life better, all you need is a well prepared plan of action, good guidance, advice and expert support to keep building momentum. For more information on how to crowdfund successfully go to fundsurfer.com to find out more.

Visit the crowdfunding page at https://www.fundsurfer.com/darthvader

Mark Hamill's tweet is at https://twitter.com/HamillHimself/status/1159551871326904320

"After a horrible, no good, terrible week, there's nothing quite like a giant floating #DarthVader balloon to distract from reality & raise your spirits"