Polka dotted sky
Since I was young, on an early Saturday or Sunday morning in the fall, my mom would come into our room and wake us up at 5 AM. We would get dressed in our sweats, and Mom would drive us out to a field. It was dewy and a little foggy, but the crisp air made each breath feel sharp. Everything was so calm. There was a peacefulness and stillness that you just don’t get in the middle of our busy lives. Then the fog would start to lift. Trucks with small trailers would start moving around the field. Doors on the trailers would swing open, and huge balls of fabric would be pulled out and rolled across the field. Large baskets would be pulled out and laid on their sides. Then came the loud air blowers. All of a sudden, those giant rolls of fabric started unfolding. Bright, beautiful colors would begin to fill the field, rounding out until they became giant balloons. The baskets would go up. The burners would fire. And then the first hot air balloon would lift. Then the rest would follow. This is an experience everyone should have at least once. There is something about standing there in the early morning, watching these giant colorful balloons come to life, that brings such peace and calm. It is one of my favorite memories with my mom. And apparently, I decided it was my job to pass that tradition along. First to my daughter. Then my husband. Then I dragged my bonus kids into it. And eventually, my grandkids. I still love a good balloon lift, whether there are six balloons or 200. So when I turned 50 in October 2022, Albuquerque had always been a maybe someday thought. Then I found out the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was also celebrating its 50th anniversary in October 2022. Well, obviously, I had to go. And naturally, I gathered some of the people I love. My mom, who started this whole excitement when I was young. My sister, who played along. My daughter, who I raised with the same excitement. And my husband, who I introduced to the love of balloons.
So come along with me as I take you to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta—the things I loved, the things I learned, the things I didn’t do that I wish I had, and whether I would go back.
Spoiler alert: I would.
The Airbnb
We ended up staying in an Airbnb with four bedrooms, so everyone had their own space, but there was still plenty of time together. And this place was perfect. It was only about five miles from the lift site. We could get tickets for morning or evening sessions, and I want to say the tickets were less than $20 per person per session.
The first day, we got up for the morning lift-off. The whole reason I was there. The glows are great, but the lift-off is what does it for me.
Getting There… Was an Adventure
We woke up at 4:30 AM to order an Uber for five people for 5 AM. We waited about 20 minutes with many canceled rides. Ordered another Waited another 20 minutes. Canceled. At this point, we decided to order two smaller cars. Waited another 20 minutes. Thankfully, we had started early and the weather conditions were delaying the start of the balloon lift. Finally, the Uber came for the first batch of us, and then another one came for the rest.
Finally, all of us made it to the park. And the balloons had just been cleared to lift! So I didn’t miss a thing.
I’m still unsure why, after 50 years, the balloon people haven’t figured out the traffic situation. 😂
I don’t know what I would have done differently, but there is probably a reason the people we rented the house from leave town during all this chaos.
The Balloons!
The balloons were amazing in my youth. I had probably gone to lifts with 20 balloons. As I’ve gotten older, the numbers seemed to dwindle to 10 or 15 balloons. Sometimes only five. But this fiesta? Completely different. They would lay out about 30 balloons at one time. They would air those up, and then they would be rolled out. The first ones would lift. Then the next ones. Every time I thought, Surely that was the last group, here came at least 20 more! It was never-ending. It was AMAZING.
The sky was polka-dotted with hot air balloons. There was food. There were vendors. We bought merch. And it was a pretty great way to celebrate turning 50.
My Birthday Morning
Remember when I told you our house was about five miles from the lift site? Well, that meant I couldn’t see the balloons taking off. But once they got off the ground?There they were. A polka-dotted sky. I would wake up every morning, grab a chair and go sit out on the driveway. I couldn’t see the actual lift, but I could watch the balloons once they got up in the sky. And honestly, I loved sitting outside, peaceful and alone, just watching them.
The thing about hot air balloons is you never know exactly how long they will stay afloat. On my birthday morning, I noticed one balloon getting closer and closer. He tried to stay afloat, but eventually he couldn’t. He hopped a few times, trying to get back off the ground, but eventually brought it right down the hill so he could meet his drive team and get everything wrapped up. So there I was, on my 50th birthday morning, watching a hot air balloon land nearby. Happy birthday to me!
I honestly wouldn’t have changed the location of our house at all. It was perfect.
The Balloon Museum
At the lift location, there is a hot air balloon museum, so of course we decided to walk through it.
They had pictures of the original balloon lifts, replicas of balloons, information about how balloons work, and all kinds of facts about hot air balloons. Even though I’ve loved balloons for years, I still learned some things.
Old Albuquerque
One of the days we didn’t have anything planned, we headed into Old Albuquerque. We walked around, looked through cute little stores and, surprisingly, stopped at so many wine tastings. Because apparently, we needed to add wine to the balloon trip. I’m not mad about it.
Albuquerque is also known for its chilies.
They have red chili salsa and green chili salsa. And if you’re feeling adventurous, try Christmas—which is both of them mixed together. This is one thing I would have done differently. I brought a couple of jars home. I should have brought a dozen. It was SO delicious!
More Than Just Balloons
Although the trip was mainly about the balloons and spending time with part of my family, we ended up seeing and learning about so much more. We learned about the history of the area, walked through neighborhoods filled with traditional-looking Adobe-style homes, explored the area, and even met some of the neighbors around our Airbnb. There were so many cool things to see and do. A full week may have been a little too long, but honestly, it left some much-needed downtime in our schedule. Especially since we were getting up at 4 or 5 AM a couple of mornings!
Would I Go Back?
I would definitely return. After all, a good balloon lift is amazing to me. And it doesn’t take much to make it a good one.
Give me a crisp fall morning, a little fog, a quiet field, the sound of those burners firing up and a sky full of colorful balloons…
I’m in.
Maybe that’s because, for me, it isn’t really just about the balloons. It’s about my mom waking me up at 5 AM when I was young. It’s about my sister joining in. It’s about taking my daughter and creating those same memories with her. It’s about dragging my husband, bonus kids and eventually my grandkids into my obsession. It’s about family. It’s about memories. And yes…. It’s also about a whole lot of hot air balloons.
So if you’ve never been to a balloon lift, put it on your list.
Whether there are six balloons or 200.
