The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Will Leave You Speechless

The Balloon Fiesta from the eyes of an Albuquerque local.

     I received free admission to the Balloon Fiesta in exchange for being on the media team.

 I have been a resident of Albuquerque for 22 years and love living here. The weather is almost sunny every day and the culture here is the best. I think the best part of living in Albuquerque is the hot air balloons. I never get tired of seeing those colorful hot air balloons floating in the sky. I think the best time of the year in Albuquerque is the month of  October as the weather is perfect in my opinion. It is still warm enough to wear shorts but not so hot that you are complaining of the heat. Green chile season happens around this time so the eating is good and the sky is filled with plenty of hot air balloons. The sky is simply picture perfect.

An Event Like No Other

For nine days in October, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® creates an enchanted world of special shape balloon rodeos, twilight balloon glows, and vibrant balloon-filled skies. Brisk autumnal mornings in the Rio Grande Valley create an otherworldly backdrop for the breathtaking majesty of our most popular event, Mass Ascension of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®.

You can get up close to the balloons

 In October the greatest event happens. It is an event that leaves most speechless and wishing that they could live in Albuquerque. I am one of the lucky ones as I get to live in a city that hosts the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Every year I get so excited to attend this wonderful event that has over 600 hot air balloons floating in the sky. One would think that a local would grow tired of seeing the hot air balloons but that is not so. I still find the balloons so magical and love all that the Balloon Fiesta brings with it. I don't mind all the tourists and all the traffic. I don't mind the early mornings of having to wake up at 4 AM or the late nights after the balloon glows. In fact, I get excited to meet new people from all over the world. One year I had the privilege to talk with balloon pilots from the Netherlands. Over the years I have learned some things that make attending the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta less stressful and you need to check out my Insider Tips For Attending The Balloon Fiesta if you are planning to attend in October. Now is the time to make the hotel reservations as the hotels fill up fast.



The pilots from the Netherlands had this amazing balloon

The biggest balloon at this year's Fiesta(2017) also happens to be the biggest hot air balloon in the world. "It’s 44 meters (144 feet) wide. It's 30 meters (98 feet) high," balloon pilot Herman Kliensmit said."

The Bees are my favorite hot air balloons

You get some amazing photos

 Every year at the Balloon Fiesta, I get some amazing photos. I have even made one into a canvas picture.,that I hung in my bathroom so I can remember the amazing time that I had at the Balloon Fiesta. I have been attending the Balloon Fiesta as media for four years and I have noticed that each year my picture taking skills improve. Last year in 2018, I had an opportunity to borrow a Canon camera while I attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and I was able to take some amazing photos of the hot air balloons. Anyone who attends can borrow a Canon camera to use while watching the balloons and Canon has a wide variety of cameras to select from. The one I borrowed was $1000 and I was so impressed with the camera. I even had an opportunity to talk with a Canon representative while I was at the Balloon Fiesta as I wanted to up my photos for my website and buy a camera. The Canon people helped me select the best camera for my needs and suggested one that was much more affordable than the $1000 one I borrowed and I even got a discount if I bought it at the Balloon Festival.



You can even bike to the Balloon Fiesta

 Now that my boys are getting older, they are ready to bike to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and this is a great way to avoid the traffic. If you choose to bike to the Balloon Fiesta, the event offers free bike parking in a secure place that has volunteers who watch the bikes. Biking to the event is a great way to save money on parking. Did you know that you can also volunteer at the Balloon Fiesta in exchange for free admission?

The Balloon Glow is a must-see event

The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event in October and has both morning and evening activities. My family attends the hot air balloon Mass Ascension in the morning and the Balloon Glow in the evening. While the Mass Ascension is the most spectacular display of sound and color in all of aviation as the hot air balloons fill the sky, the Balloon Glow the sight of balloons lit from within at night like giant holiday ornaments. The hot air balloons stay tethered on the ground during the Balloon Glow and the pilots fire their burners and light up the balloons in the dark of the night. This is perhaps the most spectacular single moment in all of Balloon Fiesta. The Balloon Glows are always followed by New Mexico's most spectacular fireworks displays.

So much to see and do at the Balloon Fiesta

The hot air balloons are the star of the show but after the balloons go up, my boys and I love to walk Vendors Row and visit all the fun booths. These booths sell food and merchandise. I highly recommend a breakfast burrito with green chile and a cup of New Mexico Pinon coffee as these are my favorite hot air balloon viewing foods. There are also booths that giveaway promotional items or have fun games to play to win free food. The best booth is the  Bimbo Bakeries booth is always a favorite as they giveaway tasty snack cakes. Bimbo also has a cool balloon. So now you can see why the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta will leave you speechless as it is an amazing must-see event that should be on everyone's bucket list. If you are looking for a place to travel to this year or the next, then Albuquerque in October is an amazing place to visit.

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Biking To Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

The Balloon Fiesta is a must-see event!

   The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2018 is happening very soon! I just can't wait to see all those hot air balloons in the sky. The 47th annual event will feature more than 500 hot air balloons and lots of people. The Balloon Fiesta can have crowds of 80,000 people so that means lots of cars and traffic.  There are ways to avoid the traffic and the long lines to park and I am going to share my favorite way to get to the Balloon Fiesta. My favorite way to get to Balloon Fiesta is by bike and it is a 15-30 minute trip. If you choose to bike you not only get some great exercise but you also save $20 on parking and the stress of waiting forever in the long lines of traffic. There is even free valet parking for your bike which is staffed by local bicycle group volunteers. The free valet parking is available to all people attending the Balloon Fiesta event even if you are not a local. I live in Albuquerque but I have many friends who live in Rio Rancho and they even bike to the event. 

Biking to the Balloon Fiesta is a great way to avoid congested traffic and parking conditions near Balloon Fiesta Park. My son and I biked to the event a couple of years ago. I discovered a bike trail that runs along the AMAFCA North Diversion Channel and crosses underneath Paseo del Norte and Alameda Blvd. This trail continues north where it crosses from the west side to the east side ending just north of the Balloon Museum. There you will find the Bike Valet staffed by local bicycle group volunteers. There are many bike trails in Albuquerque that lead to this bike trail but I found an easier way to get to this trail and it involves way less bicycling time too. You simply put your bike in or on your car and park at the Los Ranchos/Journal Rail Runner station. The bike trail begins at that station. I recommend using this method on the weekends and as it might be hard to find a parking spot during the week with people taking the train to work. 

      I biked this trail last weekend and it only took me 15 minutes to get to the Balloon Fiesta Park. The best part about this trail is you don't even have to ride with traffic as it is bike trails all the way. I am going to share some tips on how to bike safely to the park. Since the balloons go up way early in the morning you will be biking in the dark so other than making sure your tires have air, make sure you have lights on your bike. Please remember when you ride to the morning sessions you will be arriving in the dark and when you leave the evening sessions you will be leaving in the dark. I recommend both a back tail light and front headlight as the trail will be dark. I also recommend an LED Light Reflective Safety Vest for great eye-catching visibility in the dark. I discovered a vest that works great for biking and running. This vest is lightweight and comfortable. I really like the way the LED lights light up my body so I can be seen by other bikers. My younger boys want to borrow my safety vest for their Halloween costume this year. It is adjustable so it will fit them and it will make trick or treating safer too. 

                      Check out these

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Insider Tips

Dress Warm in Layers  

It can be quite chilly in the early morning so make sure you are dressed warm and don't forget the gloves. As Albuquerque warms up once the sun comes out you can then shed some of the layers of clothes for your bike ride back to your car. 

Wear a bike helmet

 Always be safe when bike riding and protect your head with a bike helmet.

Bring Water  

Even though it is cold out you will need water as you are exercising.

Bring a Backpack 

 A backpack is great to carry your water and snacks in. Make sure there is room to put any clothes that you take off like a sweatshirt as it warms up.

Take Along Snacks  

You will need some snacks to give you the energy to bike back to your car, of course, you can always buy some food at the Fiesta.

Money  

You will need money to get into the Fiesta and to buy great food like breakfast burritos and New Mexico Pinon coffee.

Bike Baskets  

These are nice to have but not necessary. I do a lot of bike riding and use my baskets for trips to the grocery store. If you have a basket or pouch, bring it to carry back any souvenirs. The backpack is also good for this.

CellPhone  

I know most people don't leave the house without this. The phone is not only great for calls but also for all the pictures you will be taking. So bring a portable charger too. A camera also works great too. Who remembers the day when the Balloon Fiesta sold disposable cameras and film?

     So if you are local to the area considered biking this year to Balloon Fiesta and avoid all the traffic. You will get some great exercise and save money too. After attending the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta you might just want to move here as not only do we have hot air balloons year-round, we also have great food and pretty good weather most of the time. 

Will you be attending the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta?

Photo from the Balloon Fiesta nighttime glow. 

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Insider Tips

Attending the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta? Check out these tips!

   I have attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta many times. It is one of the perks of living in New Mexico. My family has lived here for 20 years and we still love seeing all the hot air balloons float in the sky. We also love the wonderful weather here. The hot air balloons can be in the sky year-round but only once a year over 500 balloons grace the sky for nine days. Once you attend the Balloon Fiesta, you will want to live here. There are plenty of homes for sale in Albuquerque. This yearly event still gets my family excited and we try to attend at least one event during this time. Since this event has over one million people attending, it can be crowded and traffic can be bad but trust me this event is worth it all to be able to see the hot air balloons close up and in the sky. I am going to share some tips with you that will help you enjoy this event. The event website also has a lot of great information. http://www.balloonfiesta.com/

Places to stay
Hotels tend to fill up quickly for this event so I recommend making reservations way in advance. Other places to stay are campgrounds, bed & breakfast, and RV parks to name a few. If you have an RV, I highly recommend staying in the RV park near the Balloon Fiesta Park as then you can walk or bike to the event and avoid traffic. Just like hotels the RV park fills up quickly. For more information visit this link. http://www.balloonfiesta.com/guest-guide/rv-information

Best days to attend
 There are better days/times to attend the Balloon Fiesta if you want to see more hot air balloons and special shape balloons. To get the full experience of this wonderful event, I recommend attending at least one morning event and one evening event. The morning events have all the balloons ascending into the sky while the evening events have balloon glows. A balloon glow is a very unique experience in which the hot air balloons stay on the ground but are filled with light from the glow of the propane. The best days to attend are the weekends and Thursday and Friday. While there are events on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, these days will have fewer balloons going up. If you don’t like crowds but want to see balloons these are the better days to attend. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday only have morning events.

Getting to the Balloon Fiesta Park
There are many ways to get to the Balloon Fiesta event. If you don’t want to deal with traffic, the Park and Ride option is a good one and can save you money. but it can be pricey for families with kids older than 6 years. There are many locations around Albuquerque to park and board a bus that will take you to the event. You may not have to deal with traffic but you will deal with long lines after the event to board the bus back to your car. If you decide to drive there are many ways to get to the event, depend on your location. You can even bike to the event and avoid the 15.00 parking fee. This link has a lot of info about biking to the balloon fiesta. Click Here

Best time to leave for the event
Leaving early for the Balloon Fiesta is always best. You will not avoid traffic but it will mean less time in the traffic. I recommend getting to the Balloon Fiesta park early and spend the time eating or exploring the many booths rather than spending that time in traffic. For me, that may mean getting up super early in the morning but I would rather spend my time walking around the event visiting booths/ eating than in traffic. For the morning events, I leave my house at 4-4:30 Am and 3- 3:30 pm for the evening events. By leaving this early, I usually get a better parking spot and only have to spend 30 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic vs 1- 1 ½ hours.  Getting there early also allows you more time to see the pilots set up their balloons.

What to bring
 So what does one need to bring to the Balloon Fiesta? Bring a device to take pictures as you will want to take lots of them. Other items that I like to bring are a backpack, money, snacks, water, sunglasses, sunscreen, pocket pack of tissues, hand sanitizer or hand wipes, and coffee. The hand wipes are great for after using the porta potty and tissues are great for that nose that tends to drip in the cold weather. Leave the camping chairs at home as this is an event that is more fun walking around to see all the balloons. A stroller or a wagon is a must for those with young kids as this place is crowded. If you are able to carry the kids in a backpack carrier, that is even better so you don’t have to try and push a stroller through crowds. When my kids were young, I did use a stroller as I did not want them to get lost in the crowds and I loved that I could carry all my things in the basket.

How to dress
Dress in layers as the morning will be chilly but once that sun comes out it will be so much warmer. I like to wear pants, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and a fleece jacket along with a hat and gloves. I often find that by 8 am, I have taken off the coat and sweatshirt as it gets warm here once the sun comes out. Also, wear comfortable shoes as you will be doing lots of walking. This is an event in which you can get up close to the balloons and you will want to walk around to see all of the balloons.



Saving money
Yes, there are always ways to save money at the Balloon Fiesta. The best way to save money is by bringing your own food and drink. While you can't bring in any glass containers or large coolers, you can bring in food and drinks. I like to make my coffee and a breakfast burrito at home and then eat them while watching the balloons. You can also get food cheaper outside of the park at the many restaurants in Albuquerque. There is just something about breakfast burritos and coffee that make the balloon fiesta special. There are many places inside the Balloon Fiesta that sell breakfast burritos and you will be craving one so if you want to save money bring one with you. Bring a bottle of water too as there are no water fountains in the park. You will get thirsty as this is the desert, so save money and bring your water so you don’t have to buy a drink in the park. Also, bring some snacks as all that walking will make you hungry.

Best places to get a bite
If you want to try some of the delicious food that the event has to offer, expect long lines to buy food. The event has plenty of variety of food from breakfast burritos, pizza, burgers, to doughnuts and ice cream. You can even get fried alligator as my oldest son enjoyed. The breakfast burritos and Pinon coffee are must-have items. While the Pinon coffee is only sold at a couple of booths, there are many booths that sell the breakfast burritos and I don’t have a favorite. If you want less of a wait for food then walk north towards the end of the food booths as lines tend to be shorter there.

What to see beyond balloons
The Balloon Fiesta is more than hot air balloons. The event has lots of booths to pick up information, samples, and play games. My boys love the Cannon booth as they get their picture taken in a hot air balloon. They also love the Bimbo booth as they get to spin a wheel to win a snack item. There is also plenty of booths that sell food and other merchandise like balloon fiesta souvenirs, hats, t-shirts, and even alpaca blankets. If you walk north to the end of the vendor row, you will find a arts and craft tent, a kids discovery tent, and a chainsaw wood carving event. The kid’s discovery tent is also a great place for grownups to learn and have fun. In this tent, you can learn all about how a hot air balloon is made. You can also learn about how the pilots fly the balloons and you can try a hot air balloon simulator. This tent also teaches kids about rockets and spaceships thanks to volunteers from NASA.

If you want more information the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta then visit their official website or some of the other posts that I have written over the years. Feel free to ask me questions in the comment section and I will try my best to answer your question.

http://www.balloonfiesta.com

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2016/09/biking-to-albuquerque-balloon-fiesta.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2016/10/the-albuquerque-balloon-fiesta-is-must.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2016/08/albuquerque-balloon-fiesta-is-happening.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2016/10/the-near-space-challenge-at-albuquerque.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2015/09/balloon-fiesta-starts-this-saturday.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2015/10/balloon-glow-at-albuquerque-balloon.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2015/10/having-fun-at-albuquerque-international.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2015/10/another-day-at-albuquerque-balloon.html

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2013/10/albuquerque-balloon-fiesta.html

Wyndham Albuquerque Hotel VIP Event

A favorite Albuquerque hotel has a new name and a new look!

      Last night the younger boys and I had an opportunity to check out the newly remodeled
 Wyndham Albuquerque Hotel. Most people in Albuquerque know this hotel for its wonderful indoor waterpark. I am excited to tell you that this hotel has new owners and a newly remodeled contemporary look. I am in love with the colors and designs that they selected. I was not able to get a picture of the rooms but they were very fancy. The rooms had new granite vanities and tile floors. Once my family has a chance to stay at the hotel, I will update this post with a video review of the rooms. My boys want to stay the night at this hotel so they can enjoy the indoor waterpark.

     I love that this place serves wonderful coffee.

   The breakfast area has a nice contemporary look. I just love the wall.

  The wall behind the check-in desk changes colors!

   This was my favorite part of the hotel. These are full body massage chairs and are available to Wyndham rewards members to use for free. I just love that you can customize the massage chair to certain body parts.

I sure enjoyed a massage!

The boys and I enjoyed our night at the hotel and will be booking a night or two here so we can enjoy the water park.

        The indoor waterpark is our favorite part of this hotel. The Wyndham Albuquerque has rooms available for Balloon Fiesta and you will like the prices of the rooms.