Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2023

24/09/2023

19/09/2023

Fun fact #11 Balloon Fiesta Park is 365 acres and the launch site is 80 acres!!! That’s a lot of balloons!

10/09/2023

Some more fun balloon special shapes!! Which is your favourite so far?

10/09/2023

Fun fact #10
We get asked a lot what type of fuel do the balloons use?
Hot air Balloons generally use Liquid propane to power the burners however the Butane or a Butane/Propane mix can be used.

06/09/2023

Fun fact #9
Many people are not sure what to call the person flying the balloon. They get driver, captain etc. They are in fact pilots and do required a pilots license similar to a fixed wing pilot! Lots of training and written exams are required. In order to fly commercial balloons with paying passenger they also require a minimum number of hours like a passenger jet pilot would.

03/09/2023

Fun fact # 8
Many people ask us can you steer the balloon?

Yes and no. There is no direct mechanical means of controlling lateral movement for a hot air balloon, but a change in direction can be achieved by utilizing the wind currents at hand. Sometimes, at different altitudes, the wind will vary in general direction. By climbing or descending into these layers of air, the pilot is able to maneuver the balloon onto a preferred line of travel.

01/09/2023

Fun fact #7: There are many sizes of hot air balloons out there. Some of the smallest balloons are called hoppers and instead of a basket they use a harness or a single seat!! Take a look for yourself 🙂

29/08/2023

Fun fact #6: did you know that the first passengers in a hot air balloon were actually animals? 🐑 🦆 🐔

In 1783, the first hot air balloon was set to fly over the heads of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the French court in Versailles. Like monkeys in space, this odd assortment of animals was chosen to test the effects of flight. Sheep, thought to be similar to people, would show the effects of altitude on a land dweller, while ducks and roosters, which could already fly (albeit at different heights), would act as controls in the experiment. The balloon flew on a tether for 8 minutes, rising 1500 feet into the air and traveling 2 miles before being brought safely to the ground. The animals were unharmed.

27/08/2023

Some more fun special shapes! Love the sloth excited to see it this year! Also Joelle the bee is one of 3 bee balloons which are pretty iconic for the balloon fiesta

27/08/2023

Fun fact #5 did you know we typically serve champagne after a flight and even give some to the landowners? Here is how that tradition started:

As hot air balloons became a fad, French aristocracy soon learned that local farmers didn’t much like rich people setting balloons down on their land. The aristocracy said the peasants were afraid because they thought the balloons looked like dragons, but while the smoke that powered early balloons may have appeared dragon-like, it seems more likely that the farmers didn’t want hot air balloons crushing their crops. In any case, champagne smoothed things over, and a tradition was born. 🍾 🥂

This day and age we also carry non alcoholic champagne 🙂

27/08/2023

27/08/2023

Fun fact #4 most balloons (private/hobby balloons), weigh around 650lbs. That includes the basket, the envelop (which is the actual material). Mark’s balloon that he uses for paying passengers in the summer weighs approximately 1700lbs!!!
Lots of different size balloons out there :)

25/08/2023

Fun fact #4 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is a huge event with balloons and pilots from all over the world. There are 50 countries typically represented each year!

24/08/2023

Fun fact #3 The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta started in 1972 with only 13 balloons (Mark’s grandfather went in 1973!). Now there is an estimated 600 balloons attending the festival!

22/08/2023

Fun fact #2 about Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is that it is the MOST photographed event in the world!! You will see why once we start posting some of the pics from fiesta. With the most amazing colours, shapes and designs of the balloons it is truly a breathtaking backdrop!

21/08/2023

More of the fun special shapes coming to fiesta this year!

18/08/2023

Everyday from now to the beginning of the balloon fiesta they will post what balloons will be attending this year. Here are the special shapes so far. I’ll add more as they come 🙂

17/08/2023

So a few people have asked us what is so special about Albuquerque for them to host the festival year after year. Well one of the big reasons is the wind conditions along with the fall temperatures which creates an ideal environment to fly! Balloon pilots also look for ideal conditions to fly the "box". Below is a great video to show what that means and why it happens. It is rare in balloon flights to take off and land back at the same launch site. So the idea of the "box" is pretty magical :)

Albuquerque's weather helped make it the Balloon Capital of the World. The Albuquerque Box wind pattern allows balloonists to easily make a round trip with a...

17/08/2023

So with over 500 hot air balloons attending fiesta this year it is hard to know which one Mark flies and I'll be crewing on. So this is what his balloon will look like and if you see it you will know it's us!!

17/08/2023

Hello everyone!! So we have a lot of friends that are not in the balloon community who love to see and hear about our balloon adventures. I thought this would be a great way to show everyone a glimpse into our adventure. This will be Mark's 10th year going to balloon fiesta as a ride pilot (taking paying passengers). This is my 2nd time going down!
I will add updates to this as we get closer to the fiesta which runs from October 7th to the 15th.