By Jaymi Firestone

A spectator could not have asked for better weather for Opening Day of The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta on Saturday, October 6. Temperatures were mild and the wind was minimal. It was ideal for the art of piloting a beautifully colored hot air balloon.

With looming weather issues on the forecast for Sunday, the crowds that gathered on the first day of the festival were the largest volunteers have seen in years. One of the volunteers working Park & Ride said, “This is the most we’ve had here on an opening day as long as I can remember. We’ve never had lines like this.” It was apparent that no one wanted to miss this year’s event.

Thousands of spectators filled Balloon Fiesta Park to watch the balloons take to the fall New Mexican sky that morning. My mom, grandma, best friend, and myself were among the thousands there to watch in awe as the balloons took flight right before our eyes for the first time this season.

This year marked the 47th Annual Balloon Fiesta for Albuquerque. The normal draw for the 9 day event is somewhere around 1 million visitors. Balloon Pilots from all over the world register to participate, including countries like Brazil, Canada, France, and the UK.

We waited on a packed school bus for almost an hour as cars slowly merged into Balloon Fiesta Park. Once we arrived, the hundreds piling out of the buses flooded the field as a handful of balloons lit up in the darkness of the early morning.

Vendor lines were quickly taking shape as hungry attendees waited for their cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos, and coffee. Closely behind the lines was an open field of wide-eyed people waiting for dawn when the real excitement begins.

The mass ascension began around 7 a.m., with more than 500 balloons lifting off of the well-groomed, grassy field. With delicious breakfast burritos in hand, spectators around us leisurely walked through the field as balloon after balloon filled with air. Cameras were in hand, as were cell phones, snapping endless photos and videos of something you can only see in the Land of Enchantment.

As daylight began to dawn, balloons filled with air all around us. One after another filled what seemed like only empty space a few moments before.

For more than 2 hours balloons covered the airspace above New Mexico’s most populated city, and then slowly floated away.

The festival is something words can’t describe. You truly have to be there to understand the magnitude of these balloons, and the mass amount of how many take flight. It’s something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime, especially as a resident of New Mexico.

The variety of designs and colors leaves you nothing shy of speechless. There are so many colors, shapes, and figures that everyone is guaranteed to find at least one favorite. This year hosted balloons that resembled penguins, Darth Vader, seals, spiders, carousels, fish, and even a 3D replica of Van Gogh’s portrait. The display of imagination is unparalleled.

Albuquerque residents consider it an annual event for them. They attend each year with their families and friends. Many from towns like Moriarty, Rio Rancho, Estancia, and Edgewood go year after year as well.

Viola Cano, a resident of the Albuquerque area said, “Balloon Fiesta is like nothing else. It makes me feel like a kid again. Every year for as long as I can remember the balloons have left me in awe. I have the same feeling at 41 as I did at 5. From the first sound of the burner there is something magical about the entire experience. Whether on the field when they launch, around the city as the float above, from the Sandia’s taking in the entire city view, or kayaking the Rio Grande and witnessing a splash and dash up close, the experience will always leave you in awe. My favorite part is an annual reminder of what it’s like to feel like a kid again: The awe and wonder of a Hot Air Balloon.”

A long time resident of Chillilli, near Estancia, Jennifer Montoya gets to watch the balloons in the air on her drive to work the whole week of the festival. Many others who work in Albuquerque have the same joy of their morning commute being joined with the sight of the beautiful New Mexico skies painted with the colorful balloons.

“I remember going to the first fiestas as a young girl at the race track at the State fair. It then moved to a big field on Osuna Rd, only a half mile from where I grew up. We would either wake up very early and walk over or climb our roof and take blankets as they were taking off, some close enough to talk to us. Not only do I have those memories, but [I have] the memories we made with our own children and now our grandchildren. Every year is a new story,”

– Jennifer Montoya

Even celebrities attend the festival. Joanna Gaines from HGTV’s show “Fixer Upper” and co-owner of Magnolia Farms, wrote on Facebook Saturday, “Chip has always talked about the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and how he went as a little kid growing up in Albuquerque. He surprised us all this weekend and we finally got to experience the magic of this special place. Now I get why he still talks about it forty some years later.”

The wonder of hot air balloons floating in the sky brings out the inner child in all of us, and if you haven’t made the trip up north to see this spectacle for yourself, you better book your hotel now for next year. The rooms won’t be open for long, and you won’t want to miss out on the experience. It’s something that will bring joy to your soul.

Make some memories at the International Balloon Fiesta. You’ll be glad you did.

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“This year was my first balloon fiesta and it was far from disappointing! I loved seeing the balloons pop up all around me. I didn’t bring my kids with me this year, but I’m definitely going to have to plan a trip again to bring them. It’s something I want them to see because it’s something special that our state offers to the world, and I want them to be part of that.”

– Jessica Roach, Texico Resident