Albuquerque New Mexico is home to the biggest hot air balloon festival in the world, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Every October, hundreds of balloons take flight as part of the festival. Mass ascensions of the huge balloons take place multiple times over the course of days.
Every color under the rainbow ascends into the sky and is quite fun to watch. Many of hot air balloons have been created in very unique shapes, often taking shapes of characters from movies, comics, cartoons, and anything else the balloon creators could think of. You will see everything from balloons shaped as cows, pigs, or a stagecoach to ones shaped like Spider-Man and Darth Vader.
Most of the balloons release in daylight during mass ascensions. However, many also release during the morning or evening "glows." The glows, for those uninitiated into ballooner lingo, are early morning and late evening ascensions where the balloons light up the sky with their fires. Whether you choose to see a glow ascension or a regular one, it's very pretty and a lot of fun to watch the various shapes, sizes, and colors of balloons all rising up at once.
The Fiesta is an event to see and goes beyond the balloons themselves. Thousands of people roll into the event. You can talk to the balloon makers and pilots. Bring a picnic lunch and make a day of it. The event also has tent shops with souvenirs, shirts, and food. We searched the souvenirs and found the perfect hot air balloon shaped Christmas ornament for our tree to commemorate the fun. Be sure to check the event schedule so you don’t miss out on the goings on like chainsaw art, skydivers, and fireworks. They even have bouncy houses to further the entertainment for the kids. Of course, there are also balloon rides that can be purchased at an additional cost if you want to cross a hot air balloon ride off your bucket list.
Be aware, though, October in New Mexico in the morning can be VERY cold. When we were there for the morning glow, it was below freezing. I hadn’t expected low 30’s temperatures in October in New Mexico and was, therefore, completely unprepared. So, just in case, bring along some warm clothing, some gloves and jackets. My family was in t-shirts! Luckily, one of those tent shops was a pop-up Walgreens and had gloves and warm knit hats for sale. Thank goodness, my twin sons were crying! After warming up with added layers and hot chocolate, they sat back and marveled at all the balloons.
We relaxed, took a thousand pictures, and debated which was our favorite balloons. The Fiesta made for a fantastic family day out.
Be sure to check out balloonfiesta.com for dates, event details, and pricing, and also check out our other travel ideas.
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