Albuquerque New Mexico Balloon Fiesta

[suzanne]

Planning to attend this next year for its 50th anniversary and need some help from anyone who has been. Since RCI does not have any timeshares there, we are looking at Airbnb for either 1 to 2 weeks. Which area should we be looking at as far as access to the balloon park, restaurants, etc. There will be 3 of us older 70+ adults meeting up there so safety is a concern for the area to stay in.

Also need help with best camera settings for the early AM and evening PM lift off of the balloons. I will be using a Canon 2000D camera with a 18-400mm lens.
Thank you,
Suzanne

 

[Brett]

Planning to attend this next year for its 50th anniversary and need some help from anyone who has been. Since RCI does not have any timeshares there, we are looking at Airbnb for either 1 to 2 weeks. Which area should we be looking at as far as access to the balloon park, restaurants, etc. There will be 3 of us older 70+ adults meeting up there so safety is a concern for the area to stay in.

Also need help with best camera settings for the early AM and evening PM lift off of the balloons. I will be using a Canon 2000D camera with a 18-400mm lens.
Thank you,
Suzanne

I don't know about the balloon park or Albuquerque. Hope to visit eventually

camera settings : manual mode, shutter 1/500, f5.6 - auto ISO
or just shoot "auto"

 

[PigsDad]

It's been years since I have been to the festival, but as I recall there were all types of shuttles from different areas to bring you to the festival grounds. I would definitely consider looking into that as parking / navigating the traffic jams were a pain, and I can't imagine it will be any better next year for their 50th!

Kurt

 

[Luanne]

We live in Santa Fe and have still never been to Balloon Fiesta. All I can tell you is that most, if not all, hotels in the area raise their rates a LOT during that time. For example, the Days Inn where we stay by the airport is usually between $60 - $80 per night is up around $200 per night.

There should be more information as Balloon Fiesta gets closer about transportation.

 

[PigsDad]

However, at this point they don't know if they will be allowing people on site for the fiesta. This is from May 29.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-new...narios-for-this-years-balloon-fiesta/5744824/

The OP is asking about next year (2021), not this year.

Kurt

 

[Luanne]

The OP is asking about next year (2021), not this year.

Kurt

You know, that's what I read at first, that it would be 2021, then when I re-read for some reason I read it at "this year". So ignore what I said about it not being open to the public, but the other information is correct. I edited my post to remove that information.

 

[DaveNV]

We attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta seven years ago. We exchanged through RCI into Las Brisas de Santa Fe timeshare (RCI code 0417) in Santa Fe for the week of the Balloon Fiesta. We drove from Santa Fe to Albuquerque three times to see the lift off, one day of which we paid extra for Chasers Club tickets onto the balloon launch field. It let us walk around among the balloons as they were inflating. We had VIP seating in a gated area where we enjoyed a hot beverage and breakfast while watching the "Morning Glow" lift off, with the balloons lighted from inside. This PDF file contains a kind of map and info for that special ticket that may provide some information that might help.

My opinion about it all: Stay in Santa Fe and drive to ABQ on the days you want to see the Balloon Fiesta. The Morning Glow sights were great, but by 10:00AM everything has pretty much landed again. Then how do you spend hours until the Evening Glow? We found after the initial novelty wore off, Santa Fe and Taos were much more interesting than Albuquerque. The museums and historic Town Square were excellent ways to spend our time.

Hope this helps.

Dave

 

[Luanne]

If you take Dave's suggestion, which is a very good one by the way, allow yourself plenty of time to drive down from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. One of my friends, who had been to Balloon Fiesta several times, went with some friends a couple of years ago. They had paid extra for premier parking and some kind of meal. They left Santa Fe at 4:30 a.m., which my friend said was plenty of time to make it. They got stuck at the off ramp to Fiesta Park and missed the lift off. I think that was the year they really screwed up on transportation. Some years they have used the Rail Runner (train that runs between Santa Fe and Albuquerque) to get people down, then a bus to Fiesta Park. Again, there will be lots more information as it gets closer to the time.

Also, if you can't get a timeshare, look into renting at Villas de Santa Fe. That is one of the timeshare properties, but they do rentals as well and I've found their pricing is lower than other places around.

 

[suzanne]

We attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta seven years ago. We exchanged through RCI into Las Brisas de Santa Fe timeshare (RCI code 0417) in Santa Fe for the week of the Balloon Fiesta. We drove from Santa Fe to Albuquerque three times to see the lift off, one day of which we paid extra for Chasers Club tickets onto the balloon launch field. It let us walk around among the balloons as they were inflating. We had VIP seating in a gated area where we enjoyed a hot beverage and breakfast while watching the "Morning Glow" lift off, with the balloons lighted from inside. This PDF file contains a kind of map and info for that special ticket that may provide some information that might help.

My opinion about it all: Stay in Santa Fe and drive to ABQ on the days you want to see the Balloon Fiesta. The Morning Glow sights were great, but by 10:00AM everything has pretty much landed again. Then how do you spend hours until the Evening Glow? We found after the initial novelty wore off, Santa Fe and Taos were much more interesting than Albuquerque. The museums and historic Town Square were excellent ways to spend our time.

Hope this helps.

Dave

This definitely helps. Thank you. I have been watching RCI for Santa Fe but so far the only think available is for Christmas.

 

[Luanne]

This definitely helps. Thank you. I have been watching RCI for Santa Fe but so far the only think available is for Christmas.

Thanksgiving and Christmas come up at times for Santa Fe, but other times of the year are spotty. I was able to re-book Villas of Santa Fe from April 2020 to July 2021, and that was about a month or so ago. My sister and bil were going to come visit this April, but that trip got killed. The July 2021 date may, or may not get used.

 

[Eric B]

We have a vacation home in the East Mountains near Sandia Park and have done the balloon fiesta a number of times. The recommendation to park at the satellite parking and take a bus in is a sound one. You can park there, but have to get there early to make it worthwhile; the bus will get you in and out without a problem. As others noted, once it gets to be around 10 or 10:30, the show is pretty much over and you will need to find something else to do. In the Albuquerque area, I would recommend the Rio Grande Arts and Crafts show and the New Mexico Beer Fest, both of which are scheduled to coincide with the balloon fiesta. We also like the Utility Shack on Central between Eubank and Juan Tabo for southwestern and indian jewelry, etc. Rebel Donut is always a good bet as is the Range Cafe.

 

[JudyH]

A really great thing to do is rent an RV and stay on the grounds. Eliminates all traffic. We camped in our RV for 5 nights right overlooking the take off area. Make your camping reservation a year in advance on the day it opens.

 

[Eric B]

Well, looks like while it will still be the 50th Anniversary of the Balloon Fiesta in 2021, it won't be the 50th one. This year's fiesta (# 49) has been postponed to 2021.

 

[Luanne]

Well, looks like while it will still be the 50th Anniversary of the Balloon Fiesta in 2021, it won't be the 50th one. This year's fiesta (# 49) has been postponed to 2021.

I am not terribly surprised. Every major event has been cancelled, or postponed. The only event that I know of that will still happen, but with no one attending, will be the burning of Zozobra on September 4.

 

[Brett]

I am not terribly surprised. Every major event has been cancelled, or postponed. The only event that I know of that will still happen, but with no one attending, will be the burning of Zozobra on September 4.

I had to google 'burning of Zozobra'
seems appropriate to keep that event