Stef and I have called Albuquerque, New Mexico, home for going on eight years now. And if you know me, you know Albuquerque hasn’t exactly won my heart. But before I start listing my grievances, there is one thing I will enthusiastically defend about this city: the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Love Albuquerque or hate it, this is one event that absolutely deserves a spot on your bucket list.
What started in 1972 as a small celebration with just 13 hot-air balloons has grown into the largest hot-air balloon festival in the world. Fast-forward to 2026, and the Fiesta featured more than 500 balloons, including over 100 special shapes. Everything from traditional colorful balloons to giant animals and cartoon characters rise up and float through the sky.
I think we’ve experienced Balloon Fiesta in some capacity every year since moving to New Mexico. We’ve dragged ourselves out of bed at an ungodly hour, bundled up against those surprisingly chilly desert mornings, and taken friends and family to experience the famous Mass Ascension. There is nothing quite like watching hundreds of balloons inflate in the dark and then slowly rise into the crisp morning air as the sun lights up the Sandia Mountains.
We’ve also enjoyed the evening festivities, including the Special Shapes Rodeo and Balloon Glow, when the balloons light up like giant lanterns against the darkening sky. It’s one of those experiences that photographs never quite do justice. Although that certainly doesn’t stop us from taking them.
Of course, Balloon Fiesta is also a lesson in patience and meteorology. Some years, we’ve been rewarded with perfectly calm mornings and skies filled with color. Other years, we’ve stood around in the freezing cold, coffee in hand, waiting for the wind to cooperate, only to discover that Mother Nature had other plans.
In recent years, we’ve traded the crowds, parking, and early-morning traffic for a more Turas Girls approach: hopping on our bikes and riding to the outskirts of Balloon Fiesta Park to watch the magic unfold. No parking headaches, no sitting in traffic, and a little exercise before breakfast. That’s our kind of morning!
And honestly, there’s something pretty incredible about standing beneath hundreds of balloons as they drift across the sky. Some float so low you can hear the burners roar and wave to the pilots overhead. Others rise high above the Rio Grande Valley, with the Sandia Mountains providing a stunning backdrop.
Albuquerque does have some redeeming qualities, and Balloon Fiesta is absolutely near the top of that list. There is something genuinely magical about watching the sky fill with hundreds of colorful balloons, knowing that people have traveled from all over the world to witness the same spectacle happening right in our backyard.
So, if you ever have the opportunity to visit New Mexico in October, do it. Set the alarm, bundle up, grab a breakfast burrito and a hot coffee, and go experience Balloon Fiesta. Whether you’re standing in the middle of the launch field or watching from a nearby bike path, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.
And if you’ve been wondering whether Albuquerque is worth visiting, I can confidently say this:
For nine days every October, absolutely.
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