Every autumn, the sky above the desert city of Albuquerque in the south-western United States
turns into a mass of bright colours. This is the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, an annual nineday
event.
The first festival was held in 1972 to celebrate the 50th birthday of the local radio station.
There were about a dozen hot-air balloons and they took off from the car park in the middle of
Albuquerque. From these small beginnings, the festival has grown steadily. This year at least a
thousand balloons from over one third of the countries of the world are expected at its current
out-of-town site.
What to see
The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the burners of their balloons at
the same time. These are known as ‘balloon glows’ and are an opportunity to take fantastic
photographs. However, you must arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am to see
these ‘glows’ as the balloons rise into the dark sky.
During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to the pilots as they prepare
for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and colour, some in the shapes of animals or
cartoon characters – and, of course, well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and
fast food. Kids will love it.
In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon flight over the desert
with one of the many companies offering balloon rides? Another possibility is to take the cable
car from the desert floor to the top of the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere,
and enjoy a bird’s eye view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all
ages, including balloon races and fireworks display on the opening evening and the last three
evenings of the festival.
This is a local wind pattern that creates perfect conditions for balloonists. The Sandia Mountains
protect the balloons from strong winds, and at the same time create gentler currents of winds
at different heights. This means that by rising or descending, skilful pilots can control the
direction of their balloons.
Practical Advice
Buy your tickets in advance (they are available online) and save yourself a long wait to get into
the festival site. Wear several layers of thin clothing. At night and in the early morning it can be
quite cool, but during the day sunglasses and suncream are essential. Bring a flashlight for the
night-time events and, of course, bring your camera. If you’re not a digital photographer, you’ll
need high-speed film for evening and night-time pictures.