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Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 2024


It's been on our bucket list for some time now, and frankly it should really be on everyone's, the Int'l. Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 2024 was the 52nd annual. It started with only 13 hot air balloons in 1972, by the year 2000 it had grown to over 1,000. However, 1,000 balloons is a little too much for the city to handle so now they have capped it somewhere in the 500s. This year there were 551 balloon from over 45 states and 16 countries. The theme was Embrace the Sky.

 

Due to Hurricane Milton Dave and I decided to change our flights and leave Miami a day earlier, we didn't want to risk our flight being cancelled. So, essentially we had an extra day to enjoy the fiesta and explore the area a little more. We arrived into Albuquerque late at night and were unable to pick up our rental car early because all cars were sold out. So we ended up Uber-ing for the next 12 hours.

Our Airbnb was about a 25 min drive from the airport but more importantly it was only 7 miles from Balloon Fiesta Park. We got up early the next morning and went to Steel Bender Brewyard for their annual Balloons and Brews. The event started at 7am which is the time of the Mass Ascension. We drank beermosas and ate delicious breakfast burritos as we watched the balloons pass over the outdoor patio of the brewery.

After picking up our rental car we headed to Old Town to tour the area. Old Town is full of small locally owned shops and restaurants. The first store that we went into ended up being one of our favorites, Brown Bear Trading Co. It was full of local artwork and many of it centered around the hot air balloons. At noon they had mariachi band playing in the square. And, directly across was the oldest church in Albuquerque, San Felipe de Neri (1706).

 

Back to the balloons-The fiesta lasts 9 days and is broken up into two sessions, morning and evening. We got tickets for 2 morning sessions and one evening. So, the next morning we woke up bright and early at 3am to catch the 4am park & ride bus at Cottonwood Mall. Park & Ride is the way to go with over 830,000 event spectators the traffic can be terrible. However, the buses have an "express lane" and they drop you off right at the gates and its only an extra $5. The whole event is superbly organized.

When the gates opened around 5am we walked and walked until Dave found the perfect spot on the opposite side of the balloon field. We were there so early that they didn't even check our credentials because we actually ended up in the pilots briefing area! We tried to blend in as we were updated on the wind conditions, the rules and regulations, who violated them and who won yesterday's raffles. An awesome drone show followed.

Next, it was the "Glow Patrol" where they send up a few balloons right before the sun rises to test the air. The first day we went they sent up 6 balloons and the second day there were 10 in the Glow Patrol. When it's dark the balloons look like fireflies lighting up at different times in the sky.

7am began the Mass Ascension with approximately 500 balloons all going up at once. The whole process took about an hour an 15 mins. On this morning, the Special Shapes also went up. Some of the shapes included Spider Pig, a unicorn, a frog, a cement truck, Elvis, a devil, a pumpkin, a Kong dog tog and Humpty Dumpty. But, my favorite one was the sloth.

With all those balloons in the sky sometimes they would just bounce off each other before finding their space. We found out later that day that one of the balloons hit a radio tower causing it to collapse. I'm not sure which balloon it was though. On a positive note, no one was hurt and it was only the second time in 20 years that a balloon crashed. Interestingly enough, 20 years ago it was that same radio tower that was hit.

 

On our second day of the fiesta we attended both the day and evening sessions. Since we took tons of pictures the first day we could enjoy the experience more as we came back to the field on the 4am bus. The schedule of events remained the same with the Glow Patrol lifting off at 6am and the Mass Ascension at 7am.

This time we walked in between the balloons as they were blowing up and ascending. It was so surreal almost like we were in a fairytale book. There were so many balloons we didn't know which way to look.

The wind current was completely different than the first day. On the first day the wind created the Albuquerque Box but on this second day the balloons took off south and then looped back north hovering over the fiesta field. It's easy to see how this is one of the most photographed events in the world.

After all of the balloons ascended we took the bus back and went out for breakfast. We were able to rest a little before heading out for the second session of the day.

The evening session started at 3pm. It was more laid back than the morning. Dave and I walked around the concessions and ate as we sat on the field. The weather was beautiful although a little hot compared to the 50 degree mornings. We walked over to the chainsaw carving competition and listening to the headliner from the Music Fiesta, Carley Pearce. Next, the skydivers jumped along the backdrop of the mountain range and we had front row seats when they landed.

The Night Glow followed. At the Night Glow there were a couple hundred balloons and they lit up as the sun began to set. It only lasted about an hour but spectators were able to walk throughout the balloons since they all stayed grounded. Some balloon pilots let kids jump in their basket for picture ops. They also traded balloon cards and pins with kids and collectors.

We decided to head back to the Airbnb after that and ended up missing the nighttime skydivers, another drone show and the fireworks show.

The following morning was the final day of the balloon fiesta and we decided to make some coffee and see what we can see from our Airbnb. Shortly after 7am the balloons began popping up along the mountain range. There were hundreds of them. Dave and I ran from the driveway to the backyard and back again as they began to scatter throughout the sky. Some of the balloons began to drift towards the apartment. And then I turned around and saw a huge balloon looking for space to land and it was heading towards our Airbnb! The balloon hovered over the house next door just barely clearing the roof (at least that's what it seemed like to us). Then it floated over our house before landing in the vacant field adjacent to our driveway. We couldn't have picked a better finale to our Balloon Fiesta experience.

Here are some of the restaurants and breweries we went to:

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