Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta: Insider Tips for an Unforgettable Experience

What is the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta? It’s an amazing festival that draws people from all over the world and the United States because it has over 500 hot air balloons that lift off at the same time. It is the largest ballooning event on earth, the most photographed event on earth, and the largest annual international event held in the United States.

Isn’t that amazing?! In this article, you will find a detailed guide for attending the massive Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and making the most of it!

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. That means that at no extra cost to you, I earn a small commission if you book through these links, and that helps me keep this blog running. Enjoy!

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Is The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Worth it?

Absolutely! It is an amazing, and fun festival for everyone. Even if you’re not a balloon enthusiast, being there to witness the balloons being setup, tested, and lift off is a wonderful experience ~ not to mention you get to ride in these balloons. That’s why so many people from all over the world attends this Fiesta!

When Is The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta?

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is usually held in the first week of October, giving you multiple opportunities and options to attend the festival, because as you can imagine it can get pretty hectic and you might not get to see everything in a single visit.

Check out the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta website for a more detailed schedule.

How To Get Tickets For The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

The event offers two tickets, one for early morning take-offs, and another for sunset-take offs. The tickets also include events that are exclusive to mornings, and evening (like a light-up drone show!). When purchasing tickets, you should carefully read what events you want to attend, and get the best tickets for you.

You can purchase tickets for morning take-offs and sunset take-offs at the Balloon Fiesta website.

If you’re looking to take a ride in a hot air balloon, you can get tickets for that on Viator. We got these tickets for the sunrise balloon ride.

Where To Stay

The best place to stay is in Albuquerque itself. This will make getting to the festival site a lot easier. There are multiple Air-BnBs, and Hotels that are available to accommodate fiesta goers.

Hotels in Albuquerque: Booking.com

Airbnbs in Albuquerque: Airbnb.com

How To GET tO tHE Fiesta Site

This part is very important:

Getting through the gates to the event itself will be a nightmare if you’re planning to take a vehicle there and park (you will end up sitting in traffic for hours because of the large number of people that attend this festival). So, it is a good idea to stay somewhere in Albuquerque (even though it will be more expensive), and preferably somewhere close to the festival site or a shuttle pick-up point.

Here is a map of the festival site and all the roads that will be blocked off. Be sure to check that link again the day before the festival, because those maps could change.

If you’re looking for information on where the shuttles can pick you up and drop you off, you can find it here.

The best part is, the shuttles are FREE!

What Should You Bring?

You’re probably going to be at the festival for several hours, so I recommend bringing these items with you:

• Backpack (lightly packed with snacks/water and other essentials)
• Folding camping Chair
• Blanket (to sit on when you’re watching the shows)

There are booths at the festival that sell these items, but they are less expensive if you bring them with you.

What To Expect

Now that you’re through the gates, let the fun begin! The fiesta is held in a football stadium-sized field. If you get there way before the balloons take-off (which you should), you will only see some balloons being set up.

But while they are being set up, and more balloons are arriving, there are many festival booths on this field you can go to. There are booths for food, water, gifts, and souvenirs. There are even booths with mini-shows and raffles. You’re going to be walking a lot, so be prepared!

seeing The Balloons

While you’re in the park, you’ll see more and more vehicles arrive with balloons. They will start setting the balloons up in preparations for the take-offs. The best part is: you can get up close – but not too close – to take pictures as the balloons are setup.

Once all the balloons are up, they will start taking off roughly around the same time. Take lots of pictures! Just be sure to watch around your surroundings.

Other Fun Things at The Fiesta

Depending on if you purchased tickets for the morning take-off or evening take-off, there are other shows that take place at the Fiesta. The night take-off has a para-shooter show (these guys jump from a plane and throw streams of smoke) before the balloons take off, and a light-up drone show shortly after the balloons take off. There are also shows for children to attend before or after balloon take-offs.

Hot Air Balloon Museum

There is a museum that is right by the field where the Fiesta is held. This museum has a lot of cool things about hot air balloons (including its history). This museum is a must-see if you arrive a bit earlier and want to nerd out on balloons.

Other Things To Do in Albuquerque

After attending the balloon fiesta, we had an extra day to spend in Alberquerue, so we went on some crazy tours.

If you’re looking for more excitement during your stay in Alberquerue, here are some tours we personally recommend you check out.

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Wrap-up: Epic Guide For The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

That’s it! This is the only guide you’ll need to successfully attend the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I hope you enjoy your time there! I certainly did.

Happy travels!