Balloon Fiesta: Know Before You Go
Are you planning a trip to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta? Read on for tips and advice on how to make the most of your Balloon Fiesta experience!
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The morning mass ascension is positively captivating.
Is anything as magical as watching hundreds of hot air balloons drifting on the breeze against an azure sky?
If you’ve never caught a glimpse of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, there is nothing quite like it. The brightly colored and sometimes unusually shaped balloons headline a spectacle that’s equal parts whimsy and romance, and there’s a reason the Balloon Fiesta is commonly nicknamed a bucket list experience.
When my husband and I first caught a glimpse of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, we were unfortunately on our way to the airport to head home from the Land of Enchantment. While stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, we peered out the window to see a seemingly endless sea of hot air balloons against the striking New Mexico landscape, and we were instantly captivated.
You’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the morning ascension from the fair grounds.
We promised ourselves we would come back for the Balloon Fiesta someday, and three years later, we did! We had an absolute blast during our days at the Balloon Fiesta, but there was also a learning curve on optimizing fun and diminishing stress during our trip.
This is a multi-day festival with around 800,000-900,000 attendees, so knowledge is power when booking your Balloon Fiesta experience.
In the spirit of hitting the road and living your best life, here are some hopefully helpful reflections on our time at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The Evening Glow is one of the must-see events at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
If you want to do a balloon ride during the Balloon Fiesta, book it more than six months in advance.
Rainbow Ryders is the only company authorized to launch from the Balloon Fiesta, and we were shocked at how quickly they booked up. If you want to ride in a hot air balloon during the Mass Ascension event, you’ll want to book your spots as quickly as possible.
If you want to enjoy the experience of riding in a balloon but don’t care about launching from the fiesta, you may have better luck at one of the other companies launching from alternate locations.
And, it’s worth mentioning that there is a sizable price hike on balloon ride tickets during the Balloon Fiesta. Take that into consideration when deciding when you’ll arrive, depart, or want to ride.
Book lodgings close to the Balloon Fiesta ASAP.
Trust me on this one: you’re going to want to be close to the Balloon Fiesta Park. (Wondering why? Scroll down for my notes on the traffic and setting your alarm for 3 AM.)
To avoid paying a premium, book your stay as soon as you decide on your dates. You may also want to look into lodgings that are close enough to catch glimpses of the balloons from your window - or even book one of the Balloon Fiesta’s glamping tents on-site.
Decide what type of Balloon Fiesta experience you want to have.
Are you comfortable waiting in line elbow-to-elbow at 4 AM in 40-degree weather to get into the park and jostling for your chance to grab a breakfast burrito before the Morning Ascension wraps up? Are you looking to do the Balloon Fiesta on the cheap and don’t care about lines or waking up early? Or are creature comforts more your style?
There are a number of ways to enjoy the Balloon Fiesta. The basic admission ticket is reasonably priced, but if your travel budget allows and you hate lines, you may want to take advantage of some the VIP lounges, which offer guaranteed seating, catered food, private restrooms, and a cash bar.
Do you want to skip the rental car or Uber rides and stay on-site to sleep in until the last minute? Check out the glamping huts as a lodging option.
Is cost not an issue? Look into experiences, like this year’s e-bike tour leaving from Los Poblanos before dawn. Participants skipped the traffic and lines, enjoying a guided bike tour and catered burrito and coffee.
We splurged a little on a peaceful, gorgeous Airbnb on a local winery and the VIP experience for the balloon ride (a heated tent and catered breakfast), and I 100% recommend both. After a day of jostling crowds and waiting in line, the last thing I wanted to deal with was waiting for an elevator or screaming kids in the room next door. And, getting up at 3 in the morning is hard enough without waiting 30 minutes in the freezing weather for a cup of hot coffee, which we did the first day.
Balloon Fiesta traffic is REAL.
Leave yourself extra time to arrive for each session, and have patience when you leave. There’s no way around it: Balloon Fiesta traffic is really intense.
Get up close and personal with your favorite hot air balloons during the Evening Glow at the Balloon Fiesta.
Game-plan your transportation during the Balloon Fiesta.
From what we gathered, the Balloon Festival traffic is an ongoing situation for everyone. Your options this year were to rent a car (pricy and extremely limited availability when we were booking) and drive, Uber, or park and ride. The park and ride, which we unfortunately did not do, was the clear winner this year. The Uber rides out of the park were expensive and hard to get, and the drivers frequently canceled. Our scheduled rides to the park, however, were reliable.
Be mentally prepared to go with the flow!
Albuquerque weather can be a fickle friend, and safety comes first at the Balloon Fiesta. Balloons will not launch in unfavorable conditions, and your balloon ride or even the entire Mass Ascension may not happen.
C’est la vie! We had a balloon ride scheduled on our last day, but it was canceled. We still enjoyed an incredible New Mexico sunrise over the mountains and a killer breakfast burrito, so it was a win!
Get ready to set your alarm for 3 AM. (No, I’m not kidding.)
Get up early. Just do it. We left at 4 am the first day, and we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour and fifteen minutes to get to the park (normally a 15-minute commute). We scheduled our Uber for 3:30 the next morning, and sailed into the Balloon Fiesta Park for our hot air balloon ride with no issues.
You’ll get an up close and personal view of the hot air balloons inflating at the Balloon Fiesta.
Expect to shell out some cash if you’re visiting from out of town.
Car rentals, flights, Ubers, lodging, VIP experiences, and hot air balloon rides are all a bit more expensive during the Balloon Fiesta, so squirrel away a little extra cash as you start planning your trip.
Plan to attend at least one morning and one evening session.
The morning and evening sessions are really different and equally cool experiences, so I definitely recommend going to at least one of each. Nothing compares to watching hundreds of balloons fill the bright blue desert sky during the Mass Ascension, and the Evening Glow against the Albuquerque sunset is a magical experience all its own - I almost liked it more than the Dawn Patrol and Mass Ascension.
Build in a little R&R during your trip.
Listen, we travel a lot, and we both agree that the Balloon Fiesta, while amazing, was the least restful vacation we’ve ever taken. We left with incredible memories, beautiful photos… and the biggest eye bags you’ve ever seen. Set aside time to catch a nap (or two) or just decompress from jostling along with the crowds and lines. You’ll enjoy your trip so much more with a little downtime to recover from that early alarm for the morning session.
The special shapes are some of the most beloved hot air balloons at the festival.
Wear layers of clothing and comfortable shoes.
We put on tons of layers for the morning session, including wearing a blanket from our Airbnb, it was so cold. The evening session was very warm in the beginning, and I wish I’d brought a hat or sunscreen as shade is a much sought-after commodity.
Bring a blanket or chairs.
Make yourself comfortable! There are some seats available in some of the bar lounges, but they can be hard to come by. Blankets are great because you can wear it to keep off the morning chill until you claim your spot on the park grounds. (Yes, wearing a blanket is very much a thing at the Balloon Fiesta.)
Make your meal reservations well in advance.
We tried to walk in several places for a late lunch around 2 PM in Old Town, and there was over an hour-long wait at each one. We scored our dinner reservations about 6-8 weeks out, and I was so glad we did.
I need to give a little shout-out to Campo at Los Poblanos for the most amazing craft cocktails and fine dining experience. That place is an absolute gem, and I can’t wait to go back for a ladies’ spa weekend.
Take a million pictures during the Morning Ascension at the Ballon Fiesta.
Expect Albuquerque to be a general madhouse.
As you plan your trip, remember that this lovely little city of just over 561,000 people abruptly accommodates an additional 800,000-900,000 visitors during the week-long fiesta. Plan ahead, be patient, be kind, and maybe save tourist attractions like the Tramway for another time. (Our friends had a nightmarish experience waiting in line for over two hours.)
Plan a backup itinerary in case the weather doesn’t cooperate.
There are tons of incredible things to do in Albuquerque, and it’s helpful to put together a list of other things you’d want to see or do if the weather thwarts the balloon launches or inflations.
Have you been to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico? What are your favorite experiences, do’s, and don’ts? Leave them in the comments below!
