Albuquerque International
Balloon Fiesta®
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® is an annual balloon festival and race in Albuquerque, NM that will take place October 4-12 this year. The Balloon Fiesta® is a nine day event that boasts more than 600 balloons, making it the largest balloon festival in the world. In addition, it is widely considered the most photographed event in the world.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® is an annual balloon festival and race in Albuquerque, NM that will take place October 4-12 this year. The Balloon Fiesta® is a nine day event that boasts upwards 600 balloons, making it the largest balloon festival in the world. In addition, it is widely considered the most photographed event in the world. The Balloon Fiesta® began in 1972 as the highlight of a 50th birthday celebration for KOB Radio. Radio station manager Dick McKee asked Sid Cutter, owner of Cutter Flying Service and the first person to own a hot air balloon in New Mexico, if he would fly his balloon "Roadrunner" as part of the festivities. The two began discussing ballooning, and McKee asked what the largest gathering of hot air balloons to date had been. 19 balloons in England, Cutter replied. McKee asked "Can we get 19 here?" Cutter agreed to try. He got commitments from 21 pilots, but bad weather kept some of them from arriving in time.

The first Balloon Fiesta® ended up as a gathering of 13 balloons on April 8, 1972, sponsored by KOB. The event was located in a shopping center parking lot with 20,000 spectators and with balloonists from Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Texas taking part. The first Balloon Fiesta® was actually a "Roadrunner-Coyote Balloon Race", with 1 balloon being the "Roadrunner" and the others being "Coyote" balloons. The winner of the race was the Coyote who landed closest to the Roadrunner. This race has continued as part of the Balloon Fiesta® today. The next year Albuquerque hosted the first World Hot-Air Balloon Championships in February and the fiesta became an international event.

The Balloon Fiesta® has grown each year to become the largest in the world, and on any given day during the festival, tens of thousands of guests, may be on the launch field where they are provided the rare opportunity to observe inflation and take off procedures. Countless more people gather at landing sites all over the city to watch incoming balloons.

Erica Leap, Marketing Manager & Assistant Travel Manager for THS & Championship Travel, was a featured guest on a special ‘Sports & Recreation’ online radio show hosted by SouthwestBlend.com editors Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith. This show aired live from 11am-1pm (PST), on Friday, July 18, 2008. To listen to the entire, unedited show, please click here.  To listen to Erica's interview, please double click on the Play button below.

 

For more information on the Balloon Fiesta® , please visit www.BalloonFiesta.com




To book your hotel room,
please visit –http://tinyurl.com/3wcykx