Have you ever heard of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta? Me either until doing research for this blog and now I want to go so badly! Imagine this, the sun has yet to show itself and in the sky a hot air balloon or two are up checking conditions for the morning flight, known as the mass ascension which...sounds ominous. On the ground hundreds of balloons, still tethered to the ground, come to life as their propane burners begin to glow, lighting up the dark morning, and a synchronized show is put on by the pilots. Another show for you, this time natural, as the sun rises in a beautiful array of morning colors. Meanwhile, those balloons start launching over a one and a half to two hour long period of time. Now, hundreds of bright floating hot air balloons decorate the morning sky and still more are preparing to launch.
Doesn't this sound amazing?! But I am getting a little ahead of myself, so let's dig into the history here and then we'll get back to present day. In 1972 a group of balloon pilots met in a mall parking lot and launched their13 balloons into the air. In 1973 this grew from 13 singular balloons to 13 countries participating in what was known as the "First World Hot Air Balloon Championship" that definitely had to be moved from the mall parking lot; being held at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds instead. By the time 1978 rolled around, only 6 years after the initial 13 balloon mall extravaganza, Albuquerque was hosting 273 participants which only continued to grow as the years passed. Now, in 2023, the International Balloon Fiesta is held on 350 acres of land, features around 600 balloons with 700 pilots, as of 2017 there is now live streaming of the entire event, and in 2022 they hot their 50th anniversary!
The International Balloon Fiesta as not only earned the title of "Largest Hot Ballooning Event in the World" but also of the "World's Most Photographed Event." Pretty darn impressive considering it's humble beginnings. If you want to attend this festival, you've got nine whole days in the beginning of October to join in on the fun; with this year's event taking place from October 7th to the 15th. Located in Albuquerque New Mexico, in the United States, there's more than just the mass ascension to enjoy every day! In fact they have a full calendar of events that differ from year to year, but there are some staples among these. Of course the dawn rides and mass ascension, as mentioned above, but also a smaller balloon launch on weekdays when no mass ascension occurs. In the evening you can be treated to a parallel of the "Morning Glow" called the "Evening Glow" where the balloons are again tethered in place and put on a synchronized show. This is then followed up with fireworks and a laser light show.
Staple events that don't happen everyday include the "America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race." This event is, unsurprisingly, a race! But, surprisingly (at least to me) it's a long distance race that can see some pilots spending up to four days in their balloons! There are also special events for the uniquely shaped balloons. While these balloons, consisting of shapes like beer mugs, cartoon characters, hearts, vehicles, animals, among other things; actively participate in other events, there are a few events meant to especially showcase these fun balloons. Such as a morning balloon launch consisting of only these unique shaped balloons. Flying competitions are also held, where pilots must navigate different tasks against other pilots. Tasks might include tossing rings onto or grabbing rings from poles or dropping something onto a specific target. The last staple event in a music fiesta, which requires a separate entry ticket. This is basically a concert that takes place between the morning and evening balloon glows and allows you to dance and enjoy live music as hundreds of balloons float in the skies above you. Seems kind of surreal.
Other activities that you could come across at this fiesta include dance performances, chainsaw carving, car shows, carnival games and rides, skydiving performances and kite shows. There are many other possibilities for what you could experience or see at the festival, but it looks like this is what's on offer for this year! I think one year I am going to take my mom to this, she keeps talking about wanting to see hot ari balloons and this would be perfect. Whoever you attend with, whether in person or via the live stream, have a wonderful time. And if you go in person, be sure to get some wonderful pictures!
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Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/DuBNA1QMpPA?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash
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