Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta: Tips to make the most of your visit

When we launched out for our second season of travel, we had plans to head out west for the better part of the year, returning to Massachusetts around October to settle back in for the winter holidays. Those plans changed when we pressed our luck and won out big time. On January 11, the booking window opened to camp at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Over the past 51 years, the fiesta has grown into the largest hot air balloon spectacle in the world, and one of the most anticipated festivals in the country - especially for RVers, the luckiest of whom get to camp right underneath the balloons' flight path.

Getting a camping reservation was worse than snagging a popular class at Boston University, and trust me, I'm forever traumatized by those early mornings, sitting at my computer pressing refresh a million times until the scheduling opened for the next semester. I do think, though, that my college days prepared me for this very moment. Anthony and I sat down with 3 computers and were ready for the very second the reservations opened to the public. Site traffic was nuts. The website couldn't even handle the amount of people chomping at the bit, and we needed to wait a couple of minutes to see if we were successful. You know how this story ends.

And so, we arranged our Season 2 travel plans around this coveted festival, even changing our trajectory. We initially planned to travel south-to-north, ending in Glacier National Park in September and then making our way east, back home to Massachusetts. Instead, we switched Glacier to May, went south-north-south, and returned to New Mexico.

There was definitely some overwhelm in the planning process. Thankfully, the Balloon Fiesta is extremely well-organized and much of the pertinent information is online or sent to campers via email, but it can still be confusing, so we want to share tips for fully enjoying this event, including some tips you may not see elsewhere. We'll include stories from our experience at the 51st International Balloon Fiesta, and we'll answer the question everyone wonders: Is it worth it to go?

Let's start with why Albuquerque is the location for this massive balloon launch. In the fall, the weather becomes prime for hot air balloons. The city's altitude at 5300ft, plus being situated between river valley and mountains, creates the "Albuquerque box." Here, gentle autumn winds blow in a box-like pattern. This allows the pilots to oftentimes land back close to where they launched, after a peaceful float in the clear, crisp air.

The festival itself is famous not just for the sheer amount of balloons in the sky - we're talking around 550 on days of mass ascension - but also for their non-ascension events such as dawn and dusk glows, races, and remote-controlled balloons. This is one of the only remaining hot air balloon festivals that allows spectators to walk among the balloons without any barriers. Non-balloon activities include chainsaw carvings, drone shows, and fireworks.

This wasn't our first up-close-and-personal encounter with hot air balloons. You can read about our flight in Napa, CA in 2018 here, and watch the video below:

We're actually really glad that we came into the festival with prior knowledge of the balloons, because it helped us understand and appreciate the flights more as we watched from below. Which brings us to our first tip:

Tip 1: Do prior research on hot air balloons. If you have the opportunity and budget, taking a flight is great, but even reading and watching videos will give you an appreciation for what goes into each flight. There is so much more than just the "pretty balloons" at the Fiesta, and we found ourselves enjoying the experience much more because we understood the details of ascension, flight path, landing, and the surrounding wind patterns that allow the launches to happen in the first place.

Tip 2: Prepare to spend a fair amount of money. If you're lucky enough to procure a camping reservation right on the property, you'll be looking at a rally-style parking spot with (probably) no hookups. Premium spots have water and electric, and the President's Compound has full hookups, but you're looking at a hefty $100/night and $250/night, respectively, and those spots book up extremely fast. Standard dry camping spots are $50/night, and we chose a Box View site in the South Lot for $60/night. Before we talk more about that, know that, unless you book at VIP site, you will also have to buy general admission tickets separately. The camping lots are outside the gates of the launch field, and so if you want to participate in event activities, it will cost you $15 per session. A session is the group of activities offered either morning or evening. For instance, if you decide to go in the morning, you can enter with your general admission and enjoy whatever morning activities are offered that day, such as the dawn glow, dawn patrol, ascension, and more. If you want to attend in the evening as well, you will need another general admission ticket. Once you're into the launch field area, there are also lots of vendors selling food, art, and souvenirs, so bring some extra spending cash for that, too.

If you're curious about the specifics of each activity, you can look at the comprehensive guide offered on the Balloon Fiesta website, but here is a brief overview of a few that we saw:

Dawn Glow/Dawn Patrol

A handful of balloons take to the sky before sunrise to test out the wind, where the pilots communicate with the meteorologists on the ground. If all goes well, they give the green light for all the other balloons to take off. For spectators, it's a chance to see the fires light up the dark sky. The balloons look like lanterns!

(Mass) Ascension

Once given the green light, the rest of the balloons gear up to launch. Some days have Mass Ascension, where all the balloons report for lift off. On days that aren't marked as Mass Ascension, not all the balloons are scheduled to fly, but don't worry - lots, if not all, still do! Ascension is the main event. There's nothing like seeing hundreds of balloons inflating and then taking off, getting swept away by the wind. There's a ton of whimsy, but also lots of organization, where each balloon has a designated spot on the field and its own crew to help it launch and land. The balloons also take turns, lifting off in waves. It's controlled chaos!

Special Shape Rodeo (static)

We attended the Special Shape rodeo on a day where winds weren't suitable for lift-off, and so we walked around the tethered balloons. The special shapes are so wonderfully whimsical, and some are absolutely massive! Did you see Airabelle's measurements in the caption above? The Special Shape Rodeo is a huge hit with kids and adults alike. Some balloons only inflate for this event, and so we got to see a lot of fun characters that we hadn't seen yet.

Special Shape Glowdeo

Special Shapes evenings were our chance to see these balloons in the dark. Some look completely different when lit up by their fires! The pilots coordinate the release of the hot air so that spectators can see all the balloons light up simultaneously.

Drone Show and Fiesta Fireworks

The end of the evening session is marked by a drone show and fireworks display. Some nights even have skydivers that shoot fireworks from their ankles as they dive!

Being part of the action on the field is unbelievable, but being able to camp in the flight path has some major perks. When we scrambled for our RV spot, we had to make quick choices as to where we wanted to be. So, why did we choose a Box View camping spot? Honestly, we had no idea what it was! We just saw that it was $10 more per night than standard, figured it wasn't much of a cost to see what the heck Box View was, and so we booked it. We thought maybe it would give us a better view of the balloons. Well, in some sense we were right, but the Box View actually offers way more than just a view. The Box is a field that stays open as a landing option for the balloons. Most mornings, the winds blew south or southwest, and so the South Lot got quite the spectacle. The standard sites in the South Lot are set up so RVs park back-to-back. Box View spots, on the other hand, have the field behind them. There is a flag rope that marks the boundary between parking spaces and the Box field, but the workers don't mind campers hanging out on the other side of the flags, so many people set up their chairs along the side of the field to watch the balloons in the morning. We, however, have a toyhauler. When the escort brought us to our site, he even offered to lower the flag rope so we could put down our patio and let it overhang onto the field. Talk about a Box View seat!

Even if you don't have a back patio, we still stand by Tip 3: If you can get a Box View camping spot, take it! We think it's well worth the extra $10/night. If you want to camp closer to the launch field, you can buy a spot in the north or west/east lots, but those are VIP only. You'll get the extra perks of complimentary general admission tickets, but you'll be paying $115/night for dry camping. It all depends on where you want to be and how much you want to spend. We were totally fine being further away from the launch field. The Fiesta offers shuttles from the South Lot, and there is even a bike valet if you want to bike or ebike over.

Tip 4: Don't feel pressured to go into the Fiesta every day. If you're camping at the Fiesta, you might be tempted to buy general admission tickets for every day, but the cost adds up and you'll be missing out on a special part of the Fiesta that not everyone gets to experience. There are tents set up in the camping lots with little activities, plus the RV community is social! Don't be surprised if gatherings and meetings pop up around the lots. Then of course, we can't discount the floating balloons that graced our presence right at our RV. We're really glad that we decided to spend some mornings right on the launch field and others in the comfort of our home-on-wheels. Both give a different perspective of the event, but they're both wonderful in their own way.

Tip 5: Stay flexible with the weather. Even though the weather is usually incredible this time of year, storms do occur, or the wind isn't suitable for launching. Last year at the 50th anniversary Fiesta, only a little over half the sessions took place because the weather wasn't cooperative. This year was much better, but we still had two events that just couldn't fly. When this happens, if the weather allows, the pilots try to keep the balloons static (on the ground) as long as possible, but sometimes the winds are too strong to inflate the balloons at all.

If you want to ensure opportunities to experience every activity, consider staying the full week and keep an eye on the weather and announcements. We found the best ways to get real-time information were the Balloon Fiesta Twitter account and the Fiesta live stream. Also look at the schedule, because some days have special activities that only happen a few times throughout the week.

If you attend for the full fiesta like we did, you can remain flexible with when you attend events. But, be prepared for some downtime. Tip 6: Plan some non-Fiesta activities. The Fiesta, even on the busiest days, has 2 sessions in a day, morning and evening, which leaves the middle of the day open. Albuquerque is a fun city to explore, so spend some time out on the town! We were still working the week we attended, so we filled most of our downtime with boring responsible stuff, but we did make sure to hit a few places we had looked forward to visiting.

Sandia Peak Tramway

This was yet another place we had hoped to go on our 2020 trip-that-wasn't, so we couldn't pass it up now that we were finally in the area.

Getting tramway tickets was a bit of a challenge. The tickets for each day don't release until the day prior, and during the Fiesta, they get bought up quickly. I ended up buying tickets for Tuesday morning at 5AM Monday. I mean, I was up anyway. The Fiesta really shifts your circadian rhythm! We were worried that the tramway would be a total madhouse, but on a Tuesday at 9AM, the line was short and we got on the tram as soon as it arrived. The trams were all filled to capacity, especially going up because we all had specific time slots, but once on the mountain, there was plenty of space. The mountaintop has a restaurant, observation decks, and some trails. We hiked the 2.5mi Kiwanis Cabin Trail, which leads to the 3rd cabin that was used while the tramway was under construction. The first two cabins were made of wood and couldn't withstand the weather at the summit, so the third was built out of limestone. Even though it's decommissioned, it still stands today and hikers can take a peek inside. The views around the cabin are breathtaking, as is the hike itself if you're not acclimated to high altitudes! The summit is over 10,000ft.

The tram ride is about 15 minutes and travels through various ecosystems. We saw cactus, deciduous trees, rocks, cliffs, and pine trees. The ride has a couple of thrilling moments when it looks like the tram is climbing up cliffsides, but overall its just a great way to see some fantastic views.

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What made Sandia Peak even more special was being able to see the hot air balloons from the mountain. This photo was taken from the base of the mountain. Once at the top, the balloons looked itty bitty, so they wouldn't even show up in a photo!

Petroglyph National Monument

We've visited a lot of petroglyph sites in our travels this year, and we'll be perfectly honest that this one didn't blow us away, but if you want to find somewhere to take a hike and see indigenous relics, it's a nearby option.

Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum

The Balloon Museum is right outside the Fiesta gates and was walking distance to our camping lot. It's open year-round but offers extended hours during the festival. The exhibits teach about the history of balloon aviation, which is absolutely fascinating, and houses tons of artifacts from old historical balloons. Every hour, the museum theater plays a series of productions, including a PBS special on why the balloons "fly," as well as a documentary on the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett gas balloon race. If you know nothing about gas balloon races like we did, this documentary is a must-see. These balloons are powered by hydrogen (sometimes helium) and take stratospheric flight for multiple days. The goal is to travel the furthest distance. Between weather, winds, and all the dangers below like bodies of water that make it impossible to land, these pilots have some serious ball-oons. Learning about the gas balloon race was even sweeter this year because the Balloon Fiesta was the launching ground for the 66th Coupe Aéronautique. The teams launched out on the first day of the Fiesta and were seen traveling east above I-40. Some teams made it all the way to the east coast, before the winners, team France-2, were crowned on Wednesday.

Not only is the museum brimming with information about ballooning, but the facility is also a wonderful place to watch the balloons take flight, either out the window or from one of the Adirondack chairs in the backyard.

ABQ BioPark

We bought a combo pass, which allowed us access to the aquarium, botanic garden, and zoo. The aquarium was small but had some of the best displays we'd seen, with giant glass areas to watch the fish. The botanic garden was decorated for autumn and was a pleasant walk, but we always wish gardens would put more signage so we know what plants we're looking at. Lastly, we went up the street to the zoo, which divides their sections into different geographic areas. We spent most of our time in Africa and Asia.

Whenever a festival is as hyped as this one, there are always people coming out of the woodwork to say that attending is not worth the hype. Well, as two full-timers who have been to some amazing places in the past couple of years, and who also aren't typically fans of crowds and loudness, would we recommend attending the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta? The answer is a resounding YES! For every time we feed off the peacefulness of nature, we balance that feeling with the bustling energy of happy campers in our community. Before we went to the Fiesta, we had some beautiful nature time in Colorado, including a stay in solitude at a mountain chalet. We were ready for some fun! The Balloon Fiesta really is an experience like no other. There are moments in the RV life where Anthony and I look at each other and ask, "How is this real?" We literally parked our home in the path of hundreds of hot air balloons, woke up in the morning, and ate breakfast on the patio with the balloons in the sky above us. Whenever parts of this life get tough - which they most certainly do - we have a lot of well-meaning loved ones ask us, "Why do you do it?" This is why.

We know that even getting a camping spot at the Fiesta is like winning the lottery, so keep in mind that you can attend the Fiesta without camping right on the property! There are nearby campgrounds, or if you don't RV, tons of accommodations in Albuquerque. Just book early and expect a price hike! Some parts of the city offer area shuttles into Balloon Fiesta Park so you don't need to drive the whole way in, but there are also public day lots. All the options cost different amounts, so do your research and find what makes the most sense for you. But, however, you choose to experience this event, we hope you'll feel the whimsy and magic like we did. We left with once-in-a-lifetime memories, smiles on our faces, and one heck of a celebration for our "finale stop" before we make our way back east to close the chapter of our second season of travels.