What is Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta?
The first fiesta, in 1972, had 13 balloons and took off from a shopping-centre car park. It has grown into a gathering of around 500 balloons and pilots from all over the world.
Albuquerque is famous among balloonists for the “Albuquerque Box”: on cool mornings the wind near the ground often blows one way and the wind a little higher the other way, so pilots can fly out and come back close to where they started.
When is Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta? Dates for 2026 and 2027
2026
- 3–11 October 2026Balloon Fiesta 2026
2027
- 2–10 October 2027Balloon Fiesta 2027
The fiesta starts on the first Saturday of October and lasts nine days; the organisers have already published the 2027 dates. Every flight depends on the weather, and launches are called off when the wind is too strong.
How people celebrate
- Mass Ascensions: waves of balloons taking off together in the morning.
- Dawn Patrol: balloons inflating and lifting off in the dark, glowing like lanterns.
- Evening Balloon Glows, when tethered balloons light up together, and the Special Shape Rodeo of balloons shaped like animals and characters.
Good to know
- Go early: the morning programme starts around dawn, and traffic to the park builds long before; park-and-ride buses help.
- Dress in layers: desert mornings are cold and afternoons warm.
- Visitors can walk on the launch field among the balloons as they inflate, one of the fiesta's great pleasures.