Essential Tips for Surviving the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the most photographed event in the world and is considered one of the best festivals on the planet. It is a breathtaking experience held every October and is at the top of many traveler’s bucket list. As the world’s premier hot air balloon event, the festival promises a kaleidoscope of colors, mesmerizing shapes, and a sky full of inspiration. Here’s everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip to the incredible balloon fiesta!
What is the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta?
The Balloon Fiesta is a famous celebration held in Albuquerque, New Mexico 9 days every October (Oct. 7th-15th in 2023 and Oct. 5th-13th in 2024). Thanks to the excellent geological location, Albuquerque is one of the best places in the world for ballooning. Around 900,000 visitors flock to Balloon Fiesta Park to witness the magic of over 500 hot-air balloons lighting up the horizon each year. The tradition began in 1972 with only 13 balloons and has expanded into an area of over 54 football fields capable of hosting hundreds of balloons at a time! However, keep in mind that you’ll have to face tons of crowds, extremely early mornings, expensive prices, and a lot of walking.
Prepare in Advance
Like with most major world famous festivals, the ABQ Balloon Fiesta needs advanced planning for everything to go smoothly. Prices for just about everything surge this week in particular so the sooner you make reservations the better. We booked our flights, hotels, and balloon rides over 6 months before and the prices were still exorbitant. Almost everything sells out, especially rental cars and hotels in close proximity so be sure to get those and your airplane ticket at least 7 or 8 months in advance.
Buying Tickets for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
Tickets for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta are sold as individual sessions. You will need to buy a separate ticket for both morning and night, despite being on the same day. If you manage to forgo an afternoon nap and stay in the park after the end of the morning session, You won’t have to pay for the extra night entry. Purchase tickets online to avoid long queues at the gate and even find discount bundles if you book early enough. There are a variety of ticket options, each with its own perspective on the festival:
- General Admission $15 – Grants you access to one session [available at the gate / doesn’t sell out]
- Park & Ride $25 – Provides round-trip transportation to the park from predetermined loading points [buy online, exact locations on the website/ buses begin departing at 4am for morning session and 3pm for night session]
- Chaser’s Club $65– Guaranteed seating in reserved open-air patio [catered food and beverages/ access to private bathrooms]
- Gondola Club $130 – Shuttle service or premium parking pass to gondola Club parking area, gourmet buffet meal, open bar (3 drinks), outdoor patio access, dedicated bathrooms, and a souvenir gift [must purchase in advance online]
- Glamping $1,600/2 Guests – Includes a 3 night stay in a safari tent, admission for all sessions, premium parking, lanterns, access to hospitality areas
- Camp 505 $800/2 Guests – Includes a 3 night stay, camping equipment, admission to the event, access to hospitality area, premium parking, water bottles
Morning Session
Attending the morning session is a great opportunity to see hundreds of hot-air balloons launch among the glow of the rising sun. Morning sessions begin at 4:30am to 12pm, so plan an early arrival to beat the traffic. Expect to get there before the sun rises (3:30am or 4am) in order to avoid long lines. Also be sure to dress warmly since temperatures drop very low (around 40 °F). Vendors are set up all day long so you can taste lots of delicious food and go souvenir shopping at your leisure. Check out more of the iconic foods to taste in our New Mexico Food vlog!
Night Session
The night session is from 3pm to 9pm. There are usually spectacular glowing events that light up the night sky such as drone shows, concerts, fire works and balloon glows. Both sessions are worth experiencing and each have unique events you can view with the updated schedule. Weekends get extremely crowded so try to go during the week if possible.
Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Events
Some events are held only in the morning session while others are only at night. It is wise to check the schedule of events beforehand to decide which day is most interesting to visit. Here are a few examples of the variety of events from 2023 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta:
- Dawn Patrol – A small group of Hot-air balloons rise and light up the dawn to test flying conditions. Mornings only 6:00am
- Mass Ascension – The main event, where over 500 balloons take flight, morning sessions only 7:00am
- Drone Light Shows – Both morning & night sessions
- Chainsaw Carvings – Both morning & night sessions
- Team Fastrax Skydiving Event – Night session only
- Balloon Glow – Hundreds of grounded hot air balloons glow as the sun sets, night session only 6:00pm
- AfterGlow Fireworks Show – Night session only
- Music Fiesta – Night session only
- Tons more special events
Where to Stay
Location is very important if you want to make the most out of the festival. I recommend staying as close to the Balloon fiesta Park as possible, to avoid the Ludacris amounts of traffic. We stayed at a hotel near the Airport only 13miles away and it was a pain getting to/from the park. Keep in mind hotel prices surge for that week so the earlier you book the better. Staying within walking distance to the park will save you tons of time. Or you can stay near one of the various Park & Ride departure points.
Getting Around
Transportation during this period is probably the worst thing to deal with. Even if you manage to reserve a rental car, you’ll have to contend with the horrendous amounts of traffic. Be sure to avoid peak driving times (4:30am-8am, 11am-1pm, 3pm-5pm, and 9pm-10pm). All cars were sold out (or $1,000 a day) so we decided to use Uber and Lyft to get around. The weekdays we arrived at the park around 3:30am with no one else on the road. However, the weekend we left around 5:00am and hit over an hour of traffic so plan accordingly.
Be aware ride sharing was only available at designated points in the park so you’ll have to walk to a specific gate. Parking at the parking lot also seemed like a nightmare unless you arrived before the crowds so be prepared for real early mornings (and to pay $20). The Park & Ride is probably the best option, but you’ll be dependent on the bus schedule (4am-7am, 8am-12pm, 3pm-6pm, and 7pm-10pm) and it may be closed on some weekdays.
Hot Air Balloon Rides
Riding in a hot air balloon is a once in a lifetime experience and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta might be the best place in the world to do it. The ride may be extremely expensive (starting at $450-600, price increases the longer you wait), but embracing a sky full of colorful balloons during the Mass Ascension is a unique experience you wont find anywhere else (except maybe Cappadocia in Turkey). We booked our sunrise flight with the Rainbow Ryders, one of the only companies that take flight from inside the park. Reserve your flight at least 7-8 months in advance for the best prices.
It’s much cheaper to fly during any other time of the year, and you can book those sunrise hot air balloon rides here. Be aware that flights can get canceled with no advance warnings if the weather is bad. In this case they will either reschedule you for another flight or give a refund. I highly suggest you reserve a ride as early in your trip as possible just in case. Check out the other time we rode a hot air balloon into the sunrise over Luxor, Egypt.
Mass Ascension Experience
We initially scheduled our flight for a Thursday morning. After waking up at 2:30am, we ordered an Uber to the Balloon Fiesta Park and arrived quickly with no traffic around 3:30am. We stood around in the cold until the gates opened at 4:30am and rushed to the Rainbow Ryder’s tent. It hadn’t opened yet so we had time to grab some light breakfast and souvenir shop. About an hour later the terrible news of the hot air balloon flight cancelation was given to the disappointed crowd. There were 2 options: get a full refund or reschedule a flight for the next morning on standby. The reward outweighed the risk so we decided to try our luck for the next morning. We enjoyed the Balloon Fiesta for a bit before heading out to discover the rest of Albuquerque.
The next morning began in a similar way, except the pressure to reach the opening gate was on. Standby tickets for the next hot air balloon rides were not guaranteed, so it was imperative to be first in line outside the Rainbow Ryders tent or risk missing another flight. The glorious winds of fate were on our side and we arrived to the tent first and got our names on the standby list! Fortunately after only a few hours of waiting in the freezing cold, it was confirmed that the first 10 out of a huge line of desperate souls were going to fly. Around 6am, we gathered in our lines and followed the pilots to the field.
After arriving in the center of the field, balloons began filling up all around us, and before we knew it we hopped inside a basket and started ascending into the sky. Soaring amongst hundreds of other eccentric shapes is a fascinating spectacle unlike anything else I’ve ever seen. Despite being 1,500ft above the ground, the serenity of peacefully floating like a cloud was quite relaxing. The flight lasted about an hour before gently landing in a nearby field and popping a few bottles of champagne to celebrate.
Final Thoughts on the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
Overall, the Albuquerque Balloon fiesta is an incredible experience and one of the best festivals in the world! Of course it can also be very hectic, with enormous crowds, unreasonably early hours, sky high prices, and generally horrible transportation options. In spite of all this, the balloon fiesta is an expedition into the limitless wonders of the sky worth experiencing at least once in a lifetime. By following these tips, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the event and create lasting memories as you watch the vibrant balloons gracefully dance through the Albuquerque skyline. For more on the top 10 best things to do in Albuquerque, check out this post. Also, check out the other time we rode a hot air balloon into the sunrise over Luxor, Egypt. Thanks for reading and keep leveling up!
Here’s all the tips you’ll need to survive the balloon fiesta in our travel vlog!
Check out our Mass Ascension Hot Air Balloon experience here!
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