Balloon Fiesta

A few years back, my parents went to the Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico, and it became a must do on my list. It is very hard to get camping reservations and you have to do it immediately when they are released. I set the time on my calendar and waited for the reservations to open up. Well, I apparently hit pm instead of am when I made the calendar reminder, and the reservations were all snatched up by the time I realized it. I got put on the waiting list instead. This was for the 2020 Fiesta. As it turned out, COVID canceled all reservations. 

The next year, I get an email saying that I had 24 hours to accept reservations for the 2021 Fiesta. They had opened up the reservations to everyone that had 2020 reservations and there were enough cancellations that my waiting list spot was given the opening! I jumped on it. We had 2 spots reserved- one for us and one for my parents. 

 

Come October, we hooked up our trailers and headed out to New Mexico. The camping site at the Fiesta is on a parking lot. Your specific site is not reserved. If you want to be next to another camper, you have to arrive together. We made sure we arrived together and were shown our spots upon arrival. There are only certain hours you can arrive and be shown to your site. If you're early, you have to wait. If you're late, you're hanging out just parked waiting in line until the next morning (which we saw plenty of). The site itself isn't ideal, it's literally just a parking lot. But the views and proximity to the Fiesta are the reason you're there. You're just a short walk away from everything.

Activities start EARLY at the Fiesta. You better set an alarm and get yourself moving. They start with the Dawn Patrol Show and then Mass Ascension usually at 7 am. Of course, the first morning I slept through my alarm. As it turned out, it worked out for us. Balloons had already left for their morning flights and landed right next to us! My dad and Chris had to help a guy land and hold him down until his crew got there to assist. It was actually a pretty cool thing. 

Our spots were right at "The Box," this area that's roped off and allows balloons to land. We got to watch a few do just that. 

 

You can also see the balloons from your campsite flying over.

There will undoubtedly be planned flights or "glows" that are canceled due to weather. So it's best to plan a few days of attending the event so that you have a few chances to catch the events. And this time of year it tends to be pretty cold, so I'd recommend some gloves, hats, and other warm clothing. Particularly for the morning activities.

They do what's called a mass ascension- when all the balloons fly at once.

 

Here's what a "glow" will look like. It's the balloons lit up on the ground, but not flying.

The Fiesta has plenty of food trucks to buy breakfast or dinner, and even a beer garden to grab a drink or two.

 

It's fun to hang out on the grounds at night. They usually have skydivers, a glow, and then fireworks. You can camp out and have a little picnic and then leave after fireworks. The kids really enjoyed it. I did too.

There are no events planned for the middle of the day at the Fiesta. But there's plenty to do and see around Albuquerque. We visited some breweries and downtown Albuquerque.

They also have the Sandia Peak Tramway close by. We tried to check it out, but the lines were CRAZY long and we ended up bailing. I'd think I'd skip it during the Fiesta due to the crowds. The Balloon Fiesta is an awesome event and I highly recommend a visit. There's plenty of other places to stay for the event, but none as close and convenient as the designated camping. Just make sure you set that reminder correctly!