Wonderful place to be when the Fiesta is happening. Well worth the admission fee. Get there early for the Dawn Patrol. Walk near the balloons as the team put them out to begin the inflation. Watch the balloons light up in the darkness. Next, be amazed as all the balloons begin inflating for the mass asention when the balloons begin flying from one end of the park and working to the other. The park is ADA accessible, it is very child friendly, and fun for adults. Don't miss it.

Went to the Fiesta in last two years after they opened since the pandemic. Very impressive and grandeur. The temperature is low in early morning. I did not wear enough clothing and had to move around all the time keep warm. Taking the shuttle is definitely a better option than driving directly to the Fiesta due to limited parking spaces at the park.

Pretty awesome experience. Unfortunately the night we went they didn't blow up very many balloons, I'm guessing it was too windy? Lots of delicious food (the mini donuts are awesome and the footling corn dog was one amazing). Plan to be rerouted on your drive there. This year they only have two exits off I-25, follow the signs. We tried to get around them and they block off most of the streets. You need cash for the parking and a lot of the vendors accept cash only. The firework show at the end was probably one of the best I've seen. Plus the skydivers had fireworks, which was awesome.

It was the most beautiful, wonderful and awesome experience to see 550 Hot Air Balloons of all shapes, sizes and colors launch and light up the skies of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is an annual event that draws people from all over the world. YouTube has videos of the International Balloon Fiesta. I highly recommend you put this on your bucket list of things to go see and experience. It is a nine day celebration. The balloons have many competitions.

So the balloons and food were out of this world! I had no idea in my mind just how many 550 balloons were but it blew my brain. The green chilli burritos were to die for! All the balloons were beautiful and it was an experience we'll never forget. Some tips for people though... there are way more people than you could imagine. Lines for everything are very long. If you feel like you might have to go to the bathroom don't wait! The lines are long at all of them! The food and gifts are very very expensive. It gets much colder than you'd think. Weather said 54 it got down to 43. Bring a blanket or and extra jacket and gloves. Grass was wet too.

What an amazing experience. We attended on Kids Day, which is awesome because that's the day they launch the unusual shaped balloons! Traffic getting in is crazy, so go early. There's plenty to do. Lots of great vendors for food and swag.

Where can you go and watch 648 balloons launch? A definite must see! Some things to consider are the massive amount of people, cost, parking and the weather. The weather is a big deal as wind and rain will cancel the event. My suggestion is to plan on going multiple sessions and definitely listen to the weather before going. And if it is canceled due to the weather, I would ask for tickets for the next day. The drone show is at 5:45 AM, with the balloons following at 6 AM. If you wait to get there at 5:30 AM you may be in a very long line for parking and miss the event. My suggestion is to get there at 4 AM, which gives you plenty of time to park and walk to the Event. Be prepared to walk as there is a lot of walking to be done to get to the field. Parking was $20 cash this year per session. Which is a lot of money! There is a bike path with a bike valet that is free. You can have a friend or family drop you off. Or a ride share might be less expensive. Also there is the bus drop offs from certain areas in the City. Such an amazing experience!

Great time for balloon festival! Park is clean, parking organized, and restrooms are always clean! Lots of sites I read before coming said you have to try a breakfast burrito because it's a festival tradition. Skip the burrito and eat the hot mini donuts with hot cocoa!!! It is great to see so many kids outside in having fun, so many people enjoying the same thing , and who knew so many people flew hot air balloons!! Go at least once and experience the energy yourself!

This is a great family tradition for us. We go to the Freedom 4th as well as Balloon Fiesta every year. The fireworks show is the best in town. It’s also a great opportunity to try the unique foods that the festival has to offer! Typically there is always good music and other forms of entertainment for kids. The only downside is parking, so catching a bus is a great option for many people. The bus drops you off right at the grass. Otherwise you will need to park and hike about half a mile.

I didn’t know what to expect at the park for the balloon fiesta but it was awesome. I can’t say anything about parking or traffic because we walked in. We got through security fast. Everyone was friendly. Plenty of bathrooms. Only real issue was long lines for food. The price of things in the park was high but i guess to be expected. I really loved how you could get up close to balloons and chat with the pilots. Really awesome experience and pictures don’t do it justice. I would say everyone should visit the park for balloon fiesta at least once

We went yesterday (10/07/2021) and we had such a fun time. The balloons are beautiful and it’s well worth getting up early. I love that we have something that makes the city of Albuquerque so special. My only complaint is that some of the special-shaped balloons stayed on the ground and the balloons that did go up landed shortly after taking off, but we still had a great time. This is an event that I think everyone in the world has got to see. Also, an elderly woman gave us a ride on a golf cart back to our truck and that was very nice. We didn’t see the balloon glow and the fireworks, but maybe next year.

Traffic - We came for the 50th anniversary balloon festival and we left our hotel which was maybe 20 or so minutes away at about 5:00 a.m. the Directions said it would be about 39 minutes. Let me tell you.... that last two and a half miles can take you like 2 and 1/2 hours. So my advice is definitely leave in the 4:00 a.m. hour for the sunrise balloon lift . No offense to the police but I feel like they could do a significantly better job directing traffic. It didn't feel like they were allowing traffic flow to go to rate that made sense. Or stopping the people who are cutting up in traffic and making it absolutely impossible to move forward. Festival - The balloon festival itself was a riot. We got lucky that we were able to actually have the weather work where we were able to watch the balloons take off. hundreds of balloons.... It was an amazing bucket list type of experience. One of the things I found unique and funny was they had the help dressed up as the Star Wars soldiers. Very family friendly. My only advice here would be that the official merchandise tents are absolutely jammed and I only noticed two of them. they could do better to have more dispersed official merchandise than they do. Friendly and helpful Festival staff lots of police presence.

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Awesome experience if the weather is good for the balloons to fly. Get there early. Parking and traffic is a headache so be ready. As for the park it’s nice and wide open with lots of space to hold large events plenty for food and beverage venders.

Wonderful sight this year. So many balloons were this year and it was said that about 500 balloons were up in the sky. Big crowds were present. Lots of shops to go to while being at the event. Prices are higher than usual but expected from an international event. They have plenty of restrooms for the public and they have lots of personnel to keep the place clean and safe.

This was a fabulous experience! Come extra early, or be prepared to wait in traffic for parking ($20). We arrived 2 hours before the first event, and still had to wait 1 1/2 hours to park (that was 4am!) Wear your good walking shoes, and dress in layers. The food after the balloon launch is delicious.

It's the best! Families, children, couples, solo travelers.... Everybody loves the balloon fiesta. Also the balloon museum is excellent. I highly recommend these to anyone who needs a relaxing vacation and doesn't mind getting up early!

Amazing day. Very organized, lots of people, like going to the fair or carnival. Balloons were amazing, you can really get up close. Recommend going with a tour simple for parking and convenience. I'm glad I didn't drive or have to park. Definitely worth it.

This was my second trip to this amazing event. I am impressed by their ability to handle the traffic, parking, campers, vendors, crowd control and all those amazing balloons. It is a great family environment. I met a lot of people that come back every year. If you are reading this post and thinking about going, stop thinking and plan to make the trip.

I’ve wanted to go for many years and was finally able to visit this year(2023) and it was amazing! The parking can be tricky so we did the park and ride so that made it easier. The bus drops you off right up front. Lots of yummy food and cool venders. The drone show and fireworks were so cool. Bring a blanket or chairs to sit out on the grass and enjoy.

Nice place great bathrooms heated. You never know when mudbutt may occur so this is essential and heated and cooling in bathrooms wow.

The park was amazing and there were plenty of shuttles to help people get to the front quicker. We made it in time to see the morning glow of the balloons and it was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life. There were plenty of different vendors food, products, and other. The balloons definitely did not disappoint.

For such a large event the traffic was easy and the field is large enough to not be too congested.

What an amazing experience! I would only suggest you grab your coffee BEFORE you head to the park, as we had to wait in long lines to get on the bus and I wasn't prepared. The vendors all had great breakfast tacos and coffee!

I was here for the Fourth of July celebrations. The park was massive with a stage, segregated bar area and plenty of toilets. I walked so I didn't have to worry about parking. There appeared to be limited parking and it looked expensive. The grass was great and plenty of people brought little tents, eskys (sorry, coolers) and chairs to make a day out of it.

Despite complicated traffic and parking, this was an amazing experience and so worth it — just think about how many people want to experience it! We loved seeing the balloons glow during the Dawn Patrol. The Special Shapes Rodeo was so much fun for kids and adults alike. We loved learning about the balloons and making awesome family memories together. We’ll be back!

It really is almost beyond words to describe the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. This really is one of the most spectacular things I have ever done. We have been able to "Crew" with our friends for Windrose and SUSHI. The entire festival has been tremendous and way beyond our expectations! Don't take my word for it cone see for yourself.

Balloon Fiesta Park is a pretty nice place to go to. During the actual Balloon Fiesta, you get to see a lot of cool and interesting hot air balloons if the weather is permitting. There are a lot of vendors too for food and souvenirs. It's a great thing to see if you've never been and great for kids too. I am born and raised in Albuquerque so I've seen these balloons all my life. They're still great to see, but I personally think it's too packed with people and a bit overpriced. I also think it's a bit of a hassle to get to the park and to leave, but overall enjoyable. I would recommend going if you've never been or if you have young children.

Amazing experience!! The balloon fiesta is so wonderful! It's so magnificent to see hundreds of balloons floating around. Parking is a bit tricky - don't trust the app map which routed you to quicker way, that road might be temporarily closed for the event. Just follow the guideline from the event and exit at the right place. They have staff to guide you to the right position.

What an amazing experience! I'm so glad we went! Over 500 balloons in various shapes and sizes. You can walk right up to them and look inside as they blow air into them. Most balloonists are so friendly. Get ride up to it!

Entire balloon fiesta was fantastic except getting into and out of the parking. It is an hour to get in and even more to get out. They do so well. With it all and charge $20 for parking. They really need to get that part put together way better. Otherwise fantastic lots to see do eat drink.