So, I got the chance to go to the start of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta this past weekend! It was beyond amazing and I finally was able to knock that visit off of my bucket list!
I drove from Oklahoma all the way to Albuquerque (~6 hours) late at night to make it for the next morning’s events!
Saturday
My friends and I got up (what we thought was early enough) to try and go catch a shuttle to the event! The shuttle line consisted of thousands of people and would’ve taken at least 2 hours….no thanks! So, we ended up driving towards Sandia Peak to try and get a good look at the Mass Ascension from higher up (since traffic was so backed up and there was no way of getting in at that moment)!
We ended up getting some amazing pictures and had an amazing view!
Slowly, we started back down the mountain towards the park and ended up stopping at the Valero gas station (traffic was still awful) and met hundreds of other people that were parked watching the balloons!
We ended up walking from the gas station to the park (a little more than a mile) and got to walk around. They had plenty of food vendors and small shops around, as well as a couple of beer gardens!
After hanging out for a little bit, we left to go get a nap in before we came back for the evening festivities. The sunrises in Albuquerque are amazing and was probably the highlight of the night! The winds picked up so they weren’t able to do the evening glow, but still did the fireworks show!
Sunday
We learned our lesson from the day before and woke up around 4:15am in order to leave the house by 4:45am! We made good time and ended up getting pretty good parking (around $10-15 depending on where you park) and made it with plenty of time to spare before the morning glow!
Winds were still greater than they needed to be, so it took a little bit before the first balloons started rising. They ended up just doing a static display with no launches due to the wind, but it was still amazing to see!
It was a quick trip and the weather got us, but still worth every hour of sleep I lost!
Tips
- Get up early enough to either make it to the shuttle or to drive (like 4am early)…I promise, its worth it!
- Dress warm, but in layers. It was very cold and windy in the morning and at night, but nice and warm during the day!
- Bring your camera and a positive attitude! There are thousands of people and it is crowded, but enjoy the time you have there!
If you have any questions, you can check out more information on the festival here or feel free to comment below and I’ll try to answer the best I can!
Also, if you have any stories or a favorite hot air balloon, PLEASE tell me about it! I want to know more about my readers!
Happy Flying!
