If I Were Going...: Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is the best reason to visit Albuquerque

In 2021, Scott, Caty and I went to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. It was something Caty had wanted to do for years and it finally worked with our schedules. I had been once before, in 2009, and Scott had been at least twice. Oddly, I did not blog about the 2021 trip, but it is relevant to this entry, which is about Caty and me attending the 2022 Fiesta. I will cover both here.

Different years, different cows

So, where to begin? Well, let’s start with some background on the event, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The 50th should have been in 2021, but the Fiesta was not held in 2020 because of the pandemic, pushing everything out a year. With approximately 100,000 attendees on any given day (can you say, “Super Spreader?”), cancelling in 2020 was a wise call (unavoidable, too, because New Mexico had some of the most restrictive COVID rules in the continental U.S.).

Huge crowds (close together)

In 2021, we stayed masked. This year, we were brave and didn’t. So far, with three vaccines and two boosters, I have avoided the COVID monster, even in a big crowd like this.

History

Held every year in the first full week of October, the nine-day Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta started with a small gathering of balloons in 1972 and is now the largest balloon festival in the world, followed by the Grand Est Mondial Air in France.

The scale is staggering

The Balloon Fiesta began as the highlight of a 50th birthday celebration for local Albuquerque radio station 770 KOB. Station Manager Dick McKee asked Sid Cutter, owner of Cutter Flying Service and the first person to own a hot air balloon in New Mexico, if KOB could use Sid’s new balloon as part of the festivities.

Sid Cutter gets most of the credit for founding the Fiesta

This led to a conversation about what the largest gathering of hot air balloons had been to date. The answer was 19 at an event in England. That seems so low, but I guess hot air ballooning wasn’t as big back then. Interestingly, I wrote an article for the GTE Florida newsletter about an employee who ballooned as a hobby way back in the late 1970s.

To see some history of ballooning, see my Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off post here.

Back to the Fiesta: McKee and Cutter, along with their friend Oscar Kratz, decided to top that 19-balloon gathering.

First Fiesta; Photo: Albuquerque Journal

Cutter got commitments from 21 pilots, but bad weather kept some of them from arriving in time (you will soon see how weather shapes this event). They ended up with 13 balloons and 20,000 spectators in a mall parking lot in April 1972. The balloonists came from Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Texas (plus, of course, Cutter from New Mexico).

The event featured a "Roadrunner-Coyote Balloon Race,” in which a lead balloon – the “Roadrunner” – is chased by all the other balloons – the “Coyotes." The winner is the balloon that lands closest to the lead. This is called a "hare-and-hounds" race elsewhere in the world, but New Mexico takes its desert/southwest vibe very, very seriously. This race continued as part of the Balloon Fiesta for many years.

Looking for a Roadrunner

The next year, Albuquerque really embraced hot air ballooning. It hosted the first World Hot-Air Balloon Championships in February and, then, held a second Balloon Fiesta in April.

The 1973 Championships; Photo: KOAT-TV

In 1975, Albuquerque was looking at hosting the World Championships again, but the event was scheduled for October and the Fiesta (which, by then, was officially an annual event) was in April. So, the Fiesta was moved to correspond with the Championships. Because fall has better flying weather than February, the event has remained in early October.

Plus, the Halloween spirit works with the crazy balloons

The Balloon Fiesta grew each year for decades. The number of registered balloons reached a peak of 1,019 in 2000, prompting the Balloon Fiesta Board to limit the number to 750 starting in 2001, citing a desire for "quality over quantity." The limit was lowered to 600 in 2009 because city growth had reduced landing zones. The limit was increased to 1,000 in 2011 (I am not sure why; maybe landing got more precise or they changed how the mass ascension works).

2022 was big, but not the biggest

The success of the Fiesta depends in part on the cool Albuquerque morning temperatures in October and the “Albuquerque box.”

The "box" gives them confidence to launch

The "box" is a set of predictable wind patterns that can be exploited to navigate the balloons.

At low elevations, winds tend to be from the north, but at higher elevations they tend to be southerly.

Balloonists use these winds to navigate in a vertical box.

They ascend slightly from the launch park, move south, ascend further, move north, descend and repeat the box or land back in the launch park or nearby.

During events involving on-field targets, it's not uncommon to see the same balloon make five or six passes at the targets, simply by working the "box" to keep returning to the field. When the box is working, many balloons land back on the field.

Working the "box"

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Inc., organizes the Balloon Fiesta each year. It is non-profit organization with 18 full-time staff members. Obviously, the Fiesta is an expensive proposition that isn’t supported fully by admission tickets and parking fees, so it also depends upon corporate sponsors.

Sponsorship is evident of the ground and in the air

To see all the sponsors, click here.

Venue

Over the years, the Fiesta has moved several times to accommodate the burgeoning crowds and number of balloons.

Balloon Fiesta Park can accommodate large numbers of balloons and spectators

Lots of stuff for sale

Now, the Fiesta is held at the 360-acre Balloon Fiesta Park.

Located in northern Albuquerque right off I-25, it comprises an 80-acre field, multiple parking lots, an RV camping area, a glamping area, a midway-type area for concessions (lots featuring green chiles) and VIP tents.

From the air; Photo: Independent Travel Cats

The Park is a multi-use field and is home to many other events throughout the year. It also has a permanent attraction, the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, which is open year-round. The museum is dedicated to the history, science, sport and art of ballooning and other innovative forms of flight.

Museum photo: balloonmuseum.com

The Balloon Fiesta Park site seems adequate for the size of the event, but it could benefit from a better parking system and better toilets (banks of porta-potties is what you get). We noticed that, even though cars start exiting the Interstate and lining up well before the gates open at 4:30 a.m., traffic cops don't seem to arrive or take over traffic light sequencing until around 4:00. That makes entry difficult.

Fiesta Events

As the number of balloons grew, the Albuquerque Fiesta became famous for its Mass Ascensions, in which all participating balloons can launch within a two-hour window.

Mass Ascension

I say “can,” because all the balloons don’t. Some attend only part of the Fiesta and, therefore, are not there for all Ascensions, and some inflate but don’t launch.

We were disappointed to never see Flying Saucer aloft

The reasons some don’t launch can vary: inexperienced balloonists not happy with the conditions, balloonists not comfortable with flying amongst a large group of balloons (quite a bit more challenging that flying solo), weather changes during the launch window, concerns about landing conditions, problems with the balloon apparatus, or balloon size (the really large special shapes are harder to maneuver and therefore have a lower threshold for wind).

Steggy and his shy friend, Mister Globie, never launched

The Mass Ascensions are allegedly in two waves, but, in Albuquerque, it just seemed continuous to me. At the smaller Colorado Springs event, the waves were more noticeable. Watch here.

First wave up

With hundreds of balloons in the sky at once, the Mass Ascension is a sight to see. They are held only on the weekends, with other, smaller, events during the week. Launch Directors, also known as "Zebras" because of their black-and-white-striped referee uniforms, serve as "traffic cops" to ensure that balloons leave the field in a safe and coordinated manner.

Because the balloons are so large, pilots cannot see what is going on above them, so the Zebras check the airspace to make sure it is clear and safe to ascend.

You can hear their whistles all over the field; Photo: Reuters

The first wave of the Mass Ascension typically begins (weather permitting) at around 7:00 a.m., which is sunrise in early October. Balloons fly best in the early morning when the air temperature is still low and (if you’re lucky) the winds are calm.

But, not everyone waits for light. The Dawn Patrol began at the Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when two California balloonists developed lighting systems that allowed them to fly at night. Dawn Patrol pilots take off before sunrise and fly until it is light enough to see landing sites.

Dawn Patrol in the dark sky

Fellow balloonists watch the Dawn Patrol to get an early idea of wind speeds and directions at different altitudes.

In my Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off post, I discussed the types of balloons normally seen at these events. With around 600 balloons, Albuquerque’s event features lots and lots of Special Shape Balloons. I listed all the ones from Colorado Springs. I didn’t even see all the Special Shapes in Albuquerque.

Three new ones for me: Master Zaba, Mandrill and Little Dog (which is quite big)

Another big event is the Evening Glow, where balloons inflate and are illuminated by their propane burners. They do not launch, but rather just perform a massive light show.

A fun evening celebration

Because Albuquerque has so many Special Shape balloons, it also holds a "Glowdeo," which is a night glow for the special shapes balloons.

A couple of Special Shapes

Weather permitting, Evening Glows are followed by fireworks ...

It's a real celebration

Evenings and mornings also feature flyovers ...

Usually they are vintage planes

And sky-diving ...

Spiralling in

The show

New in 2022 was an amazing Drone display, where 300 digitally programmed drones put on a light show before sunrise and after sunset. The show was produced by Verge Aero, a technology company that is based in Buda, Texas, but is part of Pennovation Works, part of the University of Pennsylvania’s technology program.

Each drone has LED lights, four propellors and motors and a GPS antenna. See parts of it here.

While hot air balloons are sensitive to weather conditions, drones can handle Mother Nature better, making it a nice addition for an event that can go bust if the wind tops 10 mph.

We saw just plain ol' flying

Over the nine days, there are also a number of other events, including the Fiesta Challenge, a game where balloonists attempt to drop a marker closest to a target.

America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race is where special long-distance gas balloons are inflated and then launched. The winner is the balloon that travels the farthest. Some balloons in the race have gone as far as the East Coast and Canada.

Often, there is also a "Key Grab," where pilots attempt to grab prizes, including a set of keys to a new vehicle, from atop tall, flexible poles.

Throughout the event, Rainbow Ryders offers (for a hefty price tag) attendees a chance to participate in the Mass Ascension. Caty really wanted to do this, but we didn’t book ahead and – as I said – it’s pricey.

Maybe some day

And, there are activities and craft programs for kids, a chain-sawing exhibition and musical acts. One of Albuquerque's largest tourist attractions, the Fiesta constitutes a major source of income for the city and local businesses. And the fever caught on: Albuquerque also has the most resident balloonists in the nation at over 300 people.

Two New Mexico Balloons: Levity and Tru-Lee New Mexico

Albuquerque and Colorado Springs are among the few ballooning events that allow spectators to wander freely among the balloons.

It's very personal

So, you can get up really close. In fact, you’re so close that balloon crews have to spend a lot of time moving people out of the way so that they can move their trucks, lay out the balloons and light their propane tanks without killing someone.

People everywhere

Often, you can feel the heat of the tanks and, if they aren’t too busy, the pilots will chat with attendees.

On a cold morning, the flames feel good

I love the closeness and can’t really imagine a ballooning event where you can’t get that close.

My Experience

So many balloons

The event is now the largest gathering of hot air balloons.

My last blog was about the Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off and I can tell you the difference between the scale of the two is staggering. Colorado Springs had 75ish balloons this year; Albuquerque had just over 600.

Colorado Springs is relatively casual with no entrance fee; the Albuquerque event is about $15 per session (there are morning and evening sessions, so that is two entries per day).

In 2022, we had two fantastic morning sessions

I will say that Albuquerque has generous raincheck policies: if balloons don’t go, you can reuse the tickets. I bought our 2021 tickets in advance for a discount (I think about $12 instead of $15) and, because I was under an erroneous impression that tickets are hard to get onsite (they aren’t), I bought too many.

Fortunately, they were also good for 2022. So, between extra tickets and rainchecks, we didn’t have to pay any entry fees in 2022. I think I still ended up with left over tickets, but, whatever …

Walking to the lot with the crowd

A final comparison between Colorado Springs and Albuquerque is entrance and parking. It’s easy in Colorado Springs; we even parked free on the street one time. Getting to and from the Albuquerque event requires planning and stamina.

Case in point: we booked our 2022 hotel rooms as soon as we got home from the 2021 event. We booked two weekends so that we could choose when to go and cancelled one set about a week before (we always get cancelable rooms for stuff like this). We ended up with an extra night booked and, initially, neither Booking.com nor the hotel would allow us to cancel just one night. But, the rates had skyrocketed since we booked, so we kept the four nights, which were cheaper than three at the new rates. When we checked out, they didn’t charge us for the fourth. So, that was a score!

Second example: the first morning we attended this year, Caty and I left the hotel at 4:00 a.m. We still had to walk a few blocks and we did not get to the grounds in time to see the Drone Show from the ground or the see the Dawn Patrol balloons inflate. We did, however, see them twinkling.

By leaving at 3:30 a.m. the next day, we got excellent parking and got into the Park before anything happened.

Parking is $20 a day, but twice we were not charged (too early, the school kids working the lot were not organized, whatever). I didn’t feel too bad about it because, both times there were no events to watch because of weather. And, we did pay one evening where nothing happened.

Leaving early gets you to this lot

2021 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Scott, Caty and I attended the 2021 Fiesta on the last weekend. We had a great time, but we saw only one balloon lift off. Yes, that is right: we saw only one balloon in the air.

And, folks, this was it!

That’s because the winds were not right. It was partially the wind speed, which exceeded 10 mph, but it was also the wind direction, which apparently wasn’t creating a box that would allow the balloons to navigate and land safely.

What we did have was some fantastic static displays (balloons inflating on the ground) …

A chance to see the balloons up close

… great evening glows …

A fabulous display

… sky-divers, both day …

Landing

... and night ...

This was fascinating (the right is really a sky-diver)

… and fireworks …

A nice finale

Caty and I spent one afternoon visiting the Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. It’s a great place, where you can learn more about ballooning than you ever even knew there was to know. Plus, it was a respite from unseasonably hot weather.

Just a bit about the Evening Glow because it’s pretty spectacular. As I said, you get to wander around as these huge nylon envelopes are inflated a with a fan and then blasted with a propane flame to heat the air inside the balloon so that it will rise ...

The propane heats the air, causing the balloon to rise

Once upright, the pilots periodically ignite the propane torches to illuminate the balloons, which glow from within ...

Such a show!

During the Glow, there are also a number of balloonists who opt to forego the balloon and just ignite their propane “candles,” often in unison, to create an on-the-ground lightshow ...

A candle show

The Glow, alone, is very cool and worth visiting.

A good evening's fun

But, in 2021, we were deeply disappointed that we did not get to witness a Mass Ascension. Or a Mini Ascension. Or any Ascension at all.

2022 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

The minute we got home, we booked for the 2022 event. We hoped the weather would comply. And, it did.

We had some gloriously clear October skies

Sort of.

Some clouds and rain, too. Photo (a bit dramatic): Albuquerque Journal

We picked the first weekend because the weather looked good and it fit better with our schedules. We drove down (it’s about five hours from my house) on Friday night after Caty got off of work and were ready to go early Saturday morning.

So, that first morning, after leaving too late and sitting in the wrong line of cars, we did catch the end of the Dawn Patrol and the Drone Show. We got in and went to the field, where balloonist after balloonist were laying out their envelopes and getting ready to launch.

Early morning activity

The flag that indicates “flyability” was yellow, so we started to get concerned that the balloons might not go. Still, we enjoyed walking among the many brightly colored …

It's a treat even before the sun tops the mountains

… and uniquely shaped balloons …

Tico "wakes up"

Caty even captured a nice time-lapse video of Tico the Sloth inflating.

There was a bit of a delay and our trepidation mounted. But, they finally took off.

The crowd was waiting

And, boy, what a sight that was (video here).

The Rainbow Ryders launch quickly

It was cool before the sun peeked over the Sandia Mountains …

Finally, a lift-off

… but, when the sun came out, oh my, my!

Amazing!

We heard that there were 550 in the sky at once.

Too many to count

Among them, were brightly colored traditional balloons …

Gorgeous against the blue sky

... and, lots of special shapes, including ones we had seen before …

You can't go wrong with the Penguins: Splash, Tall Steve and Puddles

… and many that were new to us …

Hug-a-Bear looks so, so happy!

Good for us!

It was incredible.

We were so glad that we came.

That night, wind thwarted the Glow, so nothing really happened.

The next morning, we left the hotel early and got there in time to see the Drone Show. That was pretty amazing.

After waiting out some wind (no Dawn Patrol), there was a glorious ascension.

Wow! Again!

This time, we climbed up the hill at the end of the course and watched …

We could observe the entire process

… and videotaped (including some time-lapse) from that new vantage point. It was fun capturing a full inflation (despite the roar of the chainsaw carving demo right below) because it gave a broader view of the balloons.

A great vantage point

The wind was quite different this day. There wasn’t as much of a box, so the balloons stayed relatively close and did not stay up as long.

Some were very close

We stayed long enough to see some come in to land back on the field. It was interesting to watch them maneuver in among the cars, other balloons and spectators.

The first one I watched made a perfect unassisted landing.

Flo makes a perfect landing

Others were met by ground crews that grabbed the gondolas to prevent them from tipping over ...

Tall Steve gots lots of help landing in the middle of the crowd

And, others weren’t quite so lucky. One landed on the hill between the parking lot and the power lines …

This was scary to watch

And, Puddles the Penguin smacked a trailer on the way down. See it here: OOOF!

Splash (up close) and Puddles (upper left) coming in for a landing

We had hope to see the gas balloons take off that day and to watch the key grab competition, but storms moved in and cancelled all the afternoon and evening activities (no Glow again).

Oh well!

We got up early the next morning, but the weather cancelled everything, so we headed out. Caty had signed up for text alerts about conditions and continued to get them throughout the week. It turns out, even with all our weather issues, we picked the better weekend (they even had a “shelter in place” the next weekend).

Yikes!

We realized that when we combined 2021 and 2022, we had a perfect experience – Mass Ascensions ...

2022

... and Evening Glows ...

2021

But, weather curtailed events both times.

The App

This year, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta launched an app that provided lots of details, including my favorite: a list of all the balloons with photos.