Along with the annual burning of Zozobra in Santa Fe, a true New Mexico tradition is the annual Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. More than 800,000 people attended this nine-day spectacle, one known as "the most photographed event in the world."
This year marks the 53rd annual Balloon Fiesta. For a history and significant milestones, take a peek at the event's website. Although many balloons make reappearances many years, the weather and winds make each year an entirely different event.
A very popular event that occurs just before sunrise is Mass Ascension, when more than 100 balloons carefully inflate and lift into the sky. Even earlier than that, other events attract crowds more than 90 minutes before sunrise.
Conditions have to be perfect for the ascension. Wind speeds must stay below 10 knots (about 11.5 miles per hour) at Balloon Fiesta Park, and no significant precipitation. "Green flag" conditions only occurred on six of the nine days, but events at Balloon Fiesta Park kept attendees happy every day.
For this year's post, I will share pictures from the event taken along my favorite Rio Rancho perch overlooking Albuquerque's North Valley and Corrales, some "balloon chasing" experiences in Rio Rancho, and a ballon that landed near our backyard.
For a more detailed description of the Balloon Fiesta, please see my post from last year.
Mass Ascension
The rise of over 100 balloons as the sun rises above the Sandia Mountains brings people to vistas throughout the region. While some pay for tickets and parking at Balloon Fiesta Park to see the balloonists in person and attend other events, I prefer a warm cup of coffee while standing on a plateau in Rio Rancho that overlooks Corrales and the North Valley.
Here are some images from a picture-perfect mass ascension on October 5.
Soaring over Rio Rancho
Last year, the winds were perfect to permit the majority of balloons to soar over Corrales and land in the ample undeveloped spaces of Rio Rancho on a few occasions. This allows for crazy me to drive around and see the balloons landing all over the place. Although we had balloons land near our backyard again, we only had one day where we had close to 100 balloons near our neighborhood.
Let's follow them around Rio Rancho!
A Backyard View
Occasionally, we will have a balloon fly directly over our home and land a short distance from our backyard! This year, we had Smokey the Bear as a visitor.
Search and Retrieve
Although some balloons fly back to Balloon Fiesta Park, maybe after temporarily landing and deflating, others are picked up by crews that do their best to track them. In many cases, the balloon operators have a crew in the truck that is already heading to the general area where the balloon expects to land.
Spectacular Special Shapes
In addition to the traditional balloons, special shapes are a popular part of this annual event. A Special Shapes Rodeo takes place, and many attendees focus their cameras on these unique balloons in the sky. There was even an Elvis sighting this year.
Landing Another Successful Event
The 2025 Balloon Fiesta was a success. Despite a few windy days and monsoonal rainfalls, the balloons filled the skies and pleased the crowds.
Here are a few additional balloons touching down on the ground.
The 2025 Balloon Fiesta was another memorable event, a perfect reason to get outside and enjoy cool mornings in the early fall.
Comments
Post a Comment