By Luanne Porper
We finally completed one of our bucket list items—the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We were going to travel to California in our RV and the timing was perfect to spend a few days in Albuquerque and attend the Balloon Fiesta in early October.
We are members of Harvest Hosts, a company that matches RVers with hosts in a variety of settings—museums, breweries, wineries, and people’s yards—for an annual fee. Knowing that the on-site camping opportunity at the fiesta is booked months in advance, I used Harvest Hosts to find places to camp the four nights we were in Albuquerque.
We stayed in a church parking lot high above the city, in an individual’s backyard with a view of the Sandia Mountains, and two nights at a brewery in the city. All the sites were good, but we especially enjoyed the brewery. There was room for about 30 RVs in the large parking lot and we learned that there was a group of Sprinter 4×4 vans meeting there. We chatted with the other RVers, and compared notes on their more rugged vans versus our Pleasure-Way Ontour 2.2, which had a full bathroom and cushier bed. It was a comradery that RVers are familiar with. We loved talking about our adventures, what we love about our particular rigs and where we were traveling to next. We had a wonderful time that night, and it remains one of our favorite stays so far.
Our first, early morning at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
The balloons ascend at dawn, so that meant getting up at 4 a.m. to catch the 5:30 bus at one of four places around the city that ran buses to the Fiesta Park. Unfortunately, on the morning we were attending the fiesta, the buses from the 4 a.m. run got caught in traffic, so we ended up standing over an hour in the cold and dark, waiting for them to return for the 5:30 a.m. run.
But we arrived in time and, as excited as kids, we rushed toward the balloons. As each balloon arose, people cheered and cheered. The cheering went on for three hours. A total of 550 balloons ascended that morning on a cloudless, calm day.
At its height, it was a riot of color and sound as the propane jets whooshed while the balloons went aloft. We had never experienced anything like this and kept busy taking pictures and videos of the madness. Some of the balloons were shaped like animals, but most were traditional shapes in an array of bold patterns and bright colors, which made the event a visual feast. Even when all the balloons were high above the city, we were reluctant to leave, though it was chilly and we were tired. But we were going to the evening glow later that evening when the balloons stay grounded but light up simultaneously. And we needed lunch and a nap.
Later that day, we caught a bus back to the Fiesta Park, and this time there was no waiting. We wandered around the grounds with thousands of others, waiting for sunset and the balloon glow. At the end of a countdown, the balloon operators fired up their jets simultaneously. The bright colors, shining all at once, were an incredible sight. And the noise of so many gas jets going off together was overwhelmingly wonderful.
There was also a drone show and the launch of the Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race that evening.
If there was any downside to the event, it was the enormous number of people in attendance. It was difficult to push through the crowds and we avoided going to various vendors because the lines were so long. And the porta-potty situation was grim by the end of the first day. Certainly not enough of them for the vast numbers of people using them.
However, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is one of those events that you must experience. No amount of pictures or videos can capture the organized chaos that is the mass ascension. Your eyes will widen at the spectacle and you will become a child again as you are immersed in a panoply of riotous color and sound.
Thanks to RVtravel.com reader Luanne Porper for sharing her experience.
All photos copyright Luanna Porper, 2025
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We did this last year, with Fantasy RV Tours, which gave us a powered site just South of the balloon field. And it was probably THE greatest thing we’ve ever done while RV’ing. Highly recommend it to anyone who can get there! But note – the crowds ARE pretty horrible. So go mentally prepared.
We live close to Reno so balloons are familiar to us. BUT, we know our balloon festival is nothing like the Albuquerque festival.
Good to hear from you Tommy – wondered about your absence from commenting…. Hope all is well…..
Thanks for the Fiesta review. It’s on my bucket list, but not sure when I will get there.
We were lucky enough to get a spot on the front row of the east parking lot this year. We had what I would call a million dollar view as we were about 30 feet above everything at our location. The balloons were spectacular and no matter how many pictures or videos you take Being there was unreal and a lifetime experience I will never forget. From our vantage point we watched the 100’s of busses bring people in at 4-5am. Yes we did go a few times down to the field to experience the crowds and festivities. But again we sat in our lawn chairs in front of our motorhome and enjoyed our million dollar view of the balloons ascending.
I lived in Albuquerque for many years, watched the Balloon Fiesta grow from a few Balloons at Winrock mall in the NE Heights to the huge facility at the north end of town, where it is today. It never gets old. Always breathtaking.
I lived most of my childhood in ABQ (5th grade thru HS graduation, Eldorado) and then a little bit back home between military service stints. We always saw the Balloon Fiesta going on, and checked out some of them many times. But never went to the grounds to be there for the various events. Now I live in FL and wanted to go back this past October, but other things kept that from happening. I was planning to try and get a campsite when it opens for booking in Jan. But the talk of the crowds has me second guessing this. (None of my family lives there anymore). But I do have family in North Dakota and they have a Balloon Festival in Sept, near Medora. I imagine this is much less crowded.
Don’t let the crowds scare you off. For the balloon launch, we stayed where there weren’t as many people, so it was manageable. It gets super crowded around the vendors, so we stayed away from there. It is a must see.
Thank you, Luanne for sharing, and RV Travel for publishing! Sounds wonderful other than the crowd, as in thousands (? hundreds?) of people. I likely will make-do with pictures shared via the internet and videos posted on YouTube. I find hundreds (? thousands?) of people in a small area extremely unpleasant. If DW lobbies to go, then I’ll certainly take her, but I’ll probably also opt to experience the event vicariously.
We were lucky enough to volunteer at the fiesta in 2023 & 2024….there are plenty of opportunities, but an extended commitment if you’re up for it. But it gives you memories for a lifetime. Just short of 1 million visitors pass thru the gates, the most photographed event in the world!
We have volunteered for a few years at Balloon Fiesta. Always good time.
Thank you for sharing your description, Luanna! You conveyed your experience eloquently. Perhaps we will get there one day. Have a great week and safe travels!