First-Timer’s Guide to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
*NOT IOWA*
Yes, I realize this post is not about Iowa. Although I’ve only been to Balloon Fiesta once (in 2025), I’ve been asked to share and offer up some guidance for those who might be interested in attending.
What is Balloon Fiesta?
It’s the world’s largest hot air balloon festival with over 500+ balloons. It’s held during the first full week every October at Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Not only is it the world’s largest balloon event, it is also considered by many to be the most photographed annual event.
How to get to the Balloon Fiesta
I’ve decided to answer this question before deciding where to stay – as I think that the two questions are related. There are three basic methods to get to the event.
Option 1: Drive Yourself
- Parking was $25
- Come early. Once the lot is full, they turn you away.
- Driving yourself means you get total control over when you show up and when you get to leave
- This option is also the cheapest option if you have a large group, but also the most time-intensive.
Option 2: Park and Ride
- Drive to any of the nearby shopping malls, park, and get a ride to the event.
- This requires pre-purchased tickets for the park and ride
- It costs more than parking on your own, but you won’t have to fight the traffic at all.
- The park and ride shuttle runs approximately every 30 minutes, so you can still decide when to enter and when to leave, as the shuttle starts at 4am and run right up until 7am, when most activities have already started.
- Cost is $25 per adult when purchased ahead of time and that includes your $15 admission cost to the event.
Option 3: Shuttle / Charter from your hotel
- If you are staying close to the balloon field, be sure to ask your hotel if they have a shuttle or charter bus option to the event. Be sure to ask them for details about their options, as some hotels rotate their shuttle, essentially giving you options for when to leave. Others may only have a charter or tour option. The charter option is the most expensive, but also the least headache.
- During our trip in 2025, we used the charter/tour option from our hotel. The cost was $80 total with tax, it included your admission into the event and they picked us up directly from the hotel and brought us back on the same bus. In our case, we had a designated time to leave, which was 5:30am and they got us to the event by 6am, so it was very little traffic or headache and got us on site quickly.
Where to stay in Albuquerque
In my opinion, where you choose to stay is heavily dictated by how you choose to get to the event. If you are driving on your own and don’t mind getting up early (I mean 3am) and driving into town, you stay further away to reduce your lodging costs. Same goes for the park and ride option, you have more options available since you are willing to drive. However, if your goal is to get hotel with rotating shuttle service or a charter option, you’ll need to pick one of the hotels that closer to event, and you’ll want to book the hotel 9 to 10 months before the event, as the hotels will be completely booked for this annual event.
What is the best day to go to the Balloon Fiesta?
No matter which day you decide – this is a multi-day event and you should plan on attending for multiple days because it is also weather dependent. Rain or strong winds (over 10mph) can cancel the event, so if this is a bucket trip for you, we would advise planning on at least two days, if not three.
As for which day, it depends on what you can tolerate. To see the most balloons and hence, the largest crowds, attend the morning sessions on the weekend. If you’re looking for smaller crowds, look at Tues or Wednesday. In 2025, we went on Wednesday for mass ascension in the morning and then on Thursday for the special shapes rodeo. There was a noticeable increase in the crowds on Thursday.
What should you bring to the Balloon Fiesta
Here are the items that everyone should bring or plan on
- Bring your camera, as this is one of the most photographed events in the world. As for what else to bring, that depends on what kind of participant you plan on being.
- Comfortable shoes. Even if you plan on sitting to enjoy the entire show, you’ll want to comfortable shoes, its still a lot of walking.
- Dress is layers. Early morning temps might be in the 50s or 60s, but once the sun comes up, the temp will climb quickly.
From what I could see at the event, I would put everyone into one of these buckets:
Option 1: Sitter
They want to sit down and take it all in. They are grabbing some food from the vendors or possibly bringing their own and sitting back to enjoy the show. If you’re in this category, consider bringing:
- Blanket or chairs (you can also use the blanket to keep you warm in the early hours and then have a place to lay down once the sun is up)
- soft-sided coolers, if you prefer to bring your own drinks or food
Option 2: Walker
The balloon field is large, as in 80 acres where they launch from, so you are the explorer wanting to check out all the various balloons, be ready to hike. Two people in our group measured their steps for the entire morning (5am to 10am) and both surpassed 8,000 steps in that timeframe. For this option, we recommend:
- No chair, possibly not even a blanket. As the goal to move around the park and you won’t want to carry much with you.
- So it’s pretty much comfortable shoes and dress in layers.
What should you expect during the Balloon Fiesta?
Besides hundreds of colorful hot air balloons:
No fence
At the Balloon Fiesta, there is no fence separating the pilots and the crowds, so you’re welcome to explore anywhere on the field.
Watch for Zebras
Technically, they are flight directors dressed as referees. If you hear someone in zebra stripes blowing a whistle, that means to clear the area, as the balloon is ready for lift off!
Watch for the 3 row rule
All 500 balloons can’t take off at the same time, so they typically use the 3-row rule. Rows will alternate between, Cold, Hot, and Liftoff. That means that if row 1 is taking off (as guided by the zebras), that means the row in can be hot or inflated, but can not lift off. Then the next row over has to be cold, and they wait until they are instructed to inflate.
Check out the food vendors
Some of the vendors that had really long lines: Platero’s, which serves a breakfast taco on Indian frybread. Tom Thumb, which serves the most addictive mini donuts you’ll ever eat. The line for Dole Whip was also pretty long. But don’t worry, there’s abouta mile worth of vendors with a variety of options.
