Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM
Balloon Fiesta, like it or leave it?
So out of curiosity, I am wondering what do locals really think about Balloon Fiesta. Do you attend as many events as you can, or just the glows, or do you head out of town for the week? I know as a kid growing up here, I loved it, but didn’t always go. And of course don't even think about going out to eat, because all the restaurants will be packed. But I left ABQ for 12 years and actually got into ballooning. Now I am a pilot and can't wait for it to start. In the last few days I have received my launch grid and which elementary school I will be flying from for Albuquerque Aloft on Friday Oct. 3rd. It is a hard week, but one that I look forward to every year.
Tags: balloons
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by bluejays47 on -
The balloon fiesta is a pretty great event, in my opinion, even though I'm seldom in the mood to get out there for the mass ascensions. But who doesn't love a good balloon glow?
And, yeah, the traffic can be bad. I've seen some bad, bad traffic out by my workplace (on Jefferson). And it's not just the roads that get clogged! I was biking into work one balloon fiesta morning last year when I came across a group of tourists camped out on the trail, taking pictures. All well and good, except they were so enraptured with their picture taking, they almost backed up straight into me...
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Permalink Reply by Rodney on -
Old Fart Rantings - Balloon Fiesta was SO MUCH BETTER before it became such a big-time world famous event. Back in "the old days" close friends from Gallup came with their two balloons and we had a blast all week. The event was originally held at Simm's Field, now just another developed industrial site at I-25 and Jefferson. The last time I went to an event at the balloon park I was sickened by the over-commercialization. A freaking WalMart tent! I love to see the balloons in the air. I love it when they come to my neighborhood (except when they crash into chimneys and cars). I hate the traffic it brings to my part of town since I must deal with it daily, but I know what the economic impact is and can appreciate that part of it.
When the fiesta started to draw over 100 balloons, it got too big for my friends who were among the first balloonists in the state, and they decided to stayed home. For a feel of what ballooning was like in New Mexico before it became a huge commercial event, go to Gallup for the Red Rock Balloon Rally. December 5 - 7, 2008. www dot redrockballoonrally dot com
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Permalink Reply by mombat on -
I remember parking at a friends house on Guadlupe trail and walking over to the field as a kid. It was a different event.
I still like seeing all of the balloons in the sky, I can see how a smaller event could more fun for the pilots.
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Permalink Reply by Kitson Harvey on -
I like watching the local TV news guys out there at 6AM, freezing their butts off, while I sit in bed covered in fluffy down blankets.
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Permalink Reply by Luann Wolfe on -
I live in the Vista del Norte subdivision (near Jefferson and Paseo del Norte) and I love Balloon Fiesta. I don't have to go out to the park because when the wind is right, the balloons land right in my neighborhood.
But my favorite thing about Balloon Fiesta was how it helped our Neighborhood Association stop the construction of a Super Walmart on Osuna. Once city officials realised that this space was a valuable balloon landing spot, they refused to allow Walmart to build in our area.
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Permalink Reply by Barelas Babe on -
I like the Ballooon Fiesta - I even don't mind the traffic! It makes me feel nostalgic for home and since it only happens once a year, it is bearable...
I'm very much an early riser, so I usually get out to the field before there's much traffic at all. I bring my own coffee, grab a breakfast burrito, watch the Dawn Patrol and the sunrise. There's nothing like it!
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Permalink Reply by Khan on -
As an adult, I never brave the mess to actually go TO it (though every year we say, "We should get up this year and go"), but I like it well enough. It's neat, it's pretty unusual, it's part of the city's recent identity, and it features pretty large in my childhood memories. I'll keep it. It's good cash for the city, too.
I've not seen so much of it since I moved to the Ghetto, but I work in Corrales these days, so...Oh my...how will I get to work? Ack! I had not processed that reality yet... Still, I like the fiesta.
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Permalink Reply by Joe S Sausage on -
Like it!
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