For this second overview article, I thought I’d explain how the Fiesta works and what to expect if you go. After learning and reading about past years, one thing is clear to me: the ABQ Balloon Fiesta does not stand still. They add new events, try new things, change prices. Experiment. So, even though I’m going to share my experience, please take it with a grain of salt. Though what I hope is to give you some things to think about as you plan for your own ABQ Balloon Fiesta.

This event is advertised as a 9-day event. But, in truth, it’s eight and a half days. It begins bright and early on the first Saturday in October. Then there are eight full days of fun. The final day is the following Sunday but it is not a full day. There is morning Mass Ascension and then everything is closed down by 11 a.m.

ABQ

Albuquerque is long to say, hard to spell. I frequently heard locals refer to it as ABQ. ABQ is the airport code for the city. It reminded me of my food tour in Portland where I learned that Portlanders have that same special relationship with their airport code though they took it one step farther by also having a special relationship with the airport’s carpet. You might remember from that post a roll of the carpet served as the Grand Marshal of one of the big parades there. It’s one of the things I learned that really sticks with me because it’s so unique and funny.

Agenda and Activities

Skydivers and Fireworks

Last week, I explained what happens during the main event each day. There’s no doubt Mass Ascension each morning is the biggest draw. Truly, there is nothing like it. But in addition to Mass Ascension and the nightly Glows, there are other events you might enjoy.

On five of the nine nights, there are sky divers, called Team Fastrax. They jump twice during the evenings’ festivities. They don’t jump Monday through Wednesday as there are no evening activities on those days. First, they jump at 5 p.m. and during this jump three of the sky divers are trailed by red, white and blue smoke while the fourth one unfurrows a giant flag.

The performance is called 5,000 Square Feet of Freedom (feature image). The guy who did this is a two-time record holder for flying the largest canopy by a single person. When they get close to the ground, the national anthem plays.

At 7:30, they jump again. In the dark. This time each jumper straps 35 pounds of fireworks to each leg and shoots them off on their way down. It’s followed by the finale of each of those five nights, a grand fireworks display.

It’s impressive and so many are shot off, both from the launch field and from the North VIP Lot (where I stayed). I’d hate to see the invoice for the fireworks at the event. Not to mention, professionals to set them off. Plus, the fire department is standing by.

Gas Balloon Race

Once the gas balloon race teams take off there isn’t anything to see but that didn’t stop me from being fascinated by the America’s Challenge, as the race is called. I repeatedly checked the ABQ Balloon Fiesta website where they had instant tracker results. The satellite-based tracking system they used was new for 2019.

The race is won by the team who travel the farthest. This is a distance race, not a time race so one team could potentially stay up longer and still not win. They sleep, eat, use the bathroom on board. The balloon reaches altitudes where team members need to keep oxygen tanks in their gondola. They fly for one to two days. Because balloons rely on wind, over the years, the race has finished all over the country depending which way Mother Nature sent them.

If you are interested, here is a short article about the difference between a gas balloon and a hot air balloon from the event website. Basically, a hot air balloon is filled with propane while a gas balloon is filled with helium or hydrogen. Today, most balloonist use hydrogen as helium is ten times more expensive. All America’s Challenge teams used hydrogen.

In 2019, there were nine teams. Three landed in Ontario, Canada. Five landed in Michigan. And, last place team landed in Nebraska. The winners were an American/Polish duo who traveled more than 58 hours and 1,614 miles, landing in a remote area of northern Ontario. The second place team were two Frenchmen and they were the team I was rooting for.

The start of the race is on the first day of the event so that they can fly, be found by their chase crew (that would be kind of a boring job basically being in a car for many days of the event), get the balloon loaded up and make it back to Albuquerque for the event ceremony.

Fly-In Competition

After Mass Ascension Monday through Friday, there was balloon competitions. More than 130 balloons competed. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see any of these. But how it works is there is a different version of the competition each day where targets are on the field. After the balloons launch, they fly over the target and drop their marker. The balloonist closest to the target wins. The scores are cumulative over the five days before the overall winner is declared on Friday. In 2019, Coloradans represented well, taking both first and third place.

ABQ Balloon Fiesta Cost of Tickets

So, now that you have an idea of the 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. event activities, you probably are wondering how much all this fun costs. However, let me pause first to say I’ve focused on the ballooning-related activities and haven’t touched on the many other things you can see and do such as the entertainment from music concerts to chainsaw carving.

So, on the topic of costs, there is good and bad news. Each session is only $10, making it very reasonable even for a large family. The bad news is that there are 14 sessions so to go to every session would cost $140 per person over the nine days. I was surprised they didn’t have a pass for every session at a discounted rate but maybe that’s something they have previously experimented with.

If a session is cancelled (the red flag), you can use your ticket for another session. But, when a yellow flag flies (meaning the balloons don’t launch but inflate on the ground), this is not considered a cancelled session. There were two Mass Ascensions (including the first day when I went to the launch field with my Alaska Book Club) where the yellow flag flew. It was still fun to see all the balloons inflate but nothing compares to seeing them launch and fill the sky.

In 2019, only one session was actually cancelled. It was Thursday evening when the winds were really whipping about. In fact, that morning was the other yellow flag during Mass Ascension.

Cost-Saving Tip: I haven’t seen this tip on any other blogger or vlogger posts so I think this is a gem designed primarily to encourage locals to attend the event. But, if you go to an Albuquerque Costco, you can get a 4-pack of tickets for $30, reducing the price to $7.50 for one session.

Parking Options and Costs

If you are not in an on-site RV, you’ll also have to allow time and money to park. It’s quite reasonable at $10. However, it can take an hour or more (I heard you should expect two hours on opening day) to get to a parking lot. When people talk about waking up at 3:30 a.m. to attend Dawn Patrol and Mass Ascension, it’s not an exaggeration.

They also offer a park-and-ride service which is a good deal. You bypass the long parking and ticket lines (though you do have lines for the bus ride to the park). For $15 you get transportation to and from the event plus it includes your entry ticket.

There are three catches though. Firstly, that price is not good for a same day ride so book the day prior (or earlier). If you book any time after midnight on the day you want to attend, the price jumps to $22. Secondly, they do sell out so it’s a good idea to book ahead anyway. Thirdly, you must be at the park-and-ride place at a specified time or lose your slot.

Other Expenses

You may bring a cooler into the event venue but with Main Street lined with fair-type food (lots of fried food), I didn’t see many coolers. However, with fair-type food, expect to pay fair-like prices and stand in long longs.

One of the days, I stopped near mid-field where the flag flies at the information booth. I was looking for the media tent. The woman ahead of me was asking about gluten-free food vendor options. As a result of me being nosy neighbor and listening to the conversation was if you have any food needs (gluten-free, vegan, allergies, etc.), it’s best to bring your own food or eat at home.

Another Nugget of Wisdom about Main Street. All food and merchandise vendors are on the east side of Main Street while all non-money-taking vendors (sponsors and others) are on the west side of Main Street.

Speaking of merchandise vendors. There aren’t nearly as many vendors with wares to sell as food vendors but there is still plenty of places to buy souvenirs. A few of the tents are the official merchandise vendors of the Fiesta where you can get logo swag including the annual event pins. In fact, they ordered 60,000 of the pins in 2019. That’s how popular they are.

Premier Services

If your budget allows, there are a variety of ways you can upgrade your ABQ Balloon Fiesta experience.

Gondola Club is $125 per session ($65 for children 12 and under). This premier service includes:

• Private parking area and shuttle to Main Street (the street that runs along the launch field where vendors and sponsors are set up).
• Gourmet buffet meal and an open bar (meaning you don’t pay for your cocktails).
• Segregated seated viewing spot with dedicated restrooms (though, still, only port-a-potties).
• Gondola Club pin and souvenir gift.

If that’s too pricey for you, you can join the Chasers’ Club for $60 (for everyone over 6). In addition to admission (though not parking), seating is in a private open-air patio which includes catered Mexican food and non-alcoholic beverages as well as dedicated restrooms.

Or, you can choose the high-end VIP package called the Concierge Program for $350 per session for one or two people. You can bring up to four but that’s an additional $50 per person. Basically, it is as it sounds. You are assigned one person to provide you the full experience and to serve as your tour guide. You are transported in a golf cart throughout the launch field, down Main Street, etc. The session ends with a visit to the Balloon Museum. In addition to the personal concierge, golf cart with driver, your fee gets you two admission tickets, parking in the premier lot and a Balloon Fiesta gift. This was a new program introduced in 2018. In 2019, 130 guests (81 reservations) participated in this VIP service.

Lodging

While the tickets to the event do not have to be purchased ahead of time (unless you do one of the premier options), this is an event you must plan for. And the farther ahead of time, the better. As near as I can tell, there’s no getting around it. This applies to anyone who isn’t an Albuquerque resident.

It is such a popular event that accommodations book far in advance. In fact, after one ABQ Balloon Fiesta ends, places make sure their websites are updated with information for the next year’s event. Expect to pay more than their going-rate.

Out of curiosity, I looked at RV park accommodations and every one that I investigated rose their overnight rates by about 30% during the nine days of the ABQ Balloon Fiesta. I can only assume that other lodging accommodation do the same. And, still, everything sells out fairly quickly.

Another Premier Service

Believe it or not, the ABQ Balloon Fiesta offers a premier service related to accommodations. Like the Concierge Program, Glamping was new in 2018. A baseball field in (or near, I’m not sure) the South Lot (where the bulk of the RVs park) are Glamping Tents. Can you figure out the two mashed up words that create glamping?

Glamour + Camping. It’s camping without really rouging it.

So, for $1,500, one to two people stay for any three nights in one of these tents. You can add up to two more people for $100 per person. What are you buying? Let me tell you.

It is located within walking distance to the launch field and your stay includes parking in the premium parking lot as well as admission tickets to every session during your stay. Choose between a queen bed or two single beds. Linens are included. If you bring four people, I’m not really sure where the other two sleep. Cots or the ground are the only two options I can think of.

Each tent also includes a heater, refrigerator, lamp and a lantern. Additionally, there are restrooms and a shower trailer. In the shared outdoor space you’ll find grills, games and lounge chairs. Like the other premier services, guests also receive a welcome gift.

I have to say, it looks pretty great. You must click over to see an overhead photo of the glamping setup. In 2019, 242 guests (55 reservations) took advantage of this unique lodging opportunity.

And, in case you are considering this premier service, the best three nights to choose, in my opinion, are Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Why? Because it’s the only 3-day combination that includes an evening session every night with the awesome skydivers and fireworks show. But I cannot be the only one to figure this out, therefore, I’m guessing this combo is the fastest to sell out.

If you decide to attend the Fiesta, be sure to tune in next week where I’ll give my best tips for getting the most out of the event.

Links to Referenced SSL Blog Posts Above:

• Portland, Oregon: An Overview
• Ins and Outs of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

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