THe Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with Kids
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How to go to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with kids!
Updated: September 28, 2022
The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with Kids
Picture this: Fall is in the air and the weather is perfect! Cool and crisp in the morning and sunny and warm in the afternoon. 500+ hot air balloons lifting off from one field within 2 hours. What other event in the world could this be but the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta?
This is one of the most colorful and fun events to do with kids of all ages. The Balloon Fiesta is a great excuse to visit Albuquerque and the surrounding areas of New Mexico just as fall color is cascading down the Sandia Mountains.
This is one of our all time favorite trips to do with kids and one that we have done many times. So, let The Kid Packer be your guide to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with kids!
Guide Outline:
1. Before you go
– Reservations
– What to Pack (Morning and Afternoon Sessions)
– What to Wear
2. A Balloon Fiesta Weekend with Kids
– Day 1 – Arrival
– Day 2 – Part 1 Mass Ascension/Part 2 Sandia/Part 3 Twilight Twinkle Glow/Fireworks
– Day 3 – Mass Ascension/Depart
What is the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta?
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta takes place the first two weekends of October and the days between. The Balloon Fiesta is the most photographed event in the world and is the largest balloon festival in the world. What makes this event so unique is that unlike other balloon festivals, the Balloon Fiesta allows the crowds to mingle with and navigate around the balloons on the field.
Why is this the perfect event to take your kids to? Balloons. That’s the simple answer. The balloons are colorful and have fun shapes and designs! Kids can also get close and experience the entire launch and sometimes even the landing process. Another reason the Balloon Fiesta is great for kids is because it’s an all outdoor event in beautiful New Mexico during fall. The weather is perfect and the scenery is gorgeous.
Tickets
The weekends have two sessions per day. Admission is $15 per person (12 years and older) per session. General admission tickets are not dated or timed, they are per session. So, if you want to attend the morning and afternoon events on any day, you would purchase 1 general admission ticket per person (over 12 years) per session. For 2 adults that would be 4 session tickets total. Tickets can be purchased online here or can be purchased that day at the gate. We always recommend purchasing your tickets prior to arrival to eliminate another wait in line. Tickets do not sell out. You can use a mobile or printed ticket upon entering.
1. Before You Go
Reservations
When considering lodging for the balloon fiesta with kids, plan early. Not just a few weeks or months early, but up to a year early. We typically start checking lodging availability just after the balloon fiesta of the previous year!
A few considerations while booking:
- Book early for premium locations and the best deals.
- Location, location, location! The closer to Balloon Fiesta Park the better.
- Hotels.com, Airbnb, VRBO. In addition to hotels, consider home rentals!
Money Saving Tips
- Book lodgings early
- Bring your own glow sticks/games/balls. The Dollar Tree has a great variety of glow items at a fraction of the price at the park
- Bring your own food. Concessions are pricey and the lines are extremely long. Maximize your time by packing a picnic (no glass or alcohol).
What to Pack for the Balloon Fiesta with Kids
Packing for any day with kids can include a lot of gear, but when packing for the balloon fiesta with kids, packing needs to be strategic!
When it comes to how to transport your little one, that depends on their age. For babies and toddlers, we recommend either a baby backpack carrier or a jogging stroller with big wheels. Balloon Fiesta Park is mostly made up of thick, wet grass and in order to get the most out of your visit you need to be nimble. Wagons are cumbersome and do not roll well in the grass (lesson learned for us!). Umbrella strollers while nimble, do not do well in the thick grass.
No pets are allowed in Balloon Fiesta Park with the exception of trained service animals.
Along with a child carrier backpack or jogging stroller, carry a day pack with the following: packable picnic blanket, packable blanket, water bottles, and snacks. In addition to session specific items listed below.
What to Pack for the Balloon Fiesta with Kids - Morning Session
The morning session, or mass ascension, starts early. Most people start arriving around 5:30-6AM and start leaving around 10-11AM.
Mornings at balloon fiesta park are cold. Like 20-40 degrees cold. Make sure to pack hats, gloves, blankets and anything else you need to keep your kids warm. Hand warmers are really nice as well!
Once the sun peaks over the Sandia Mountains things warm up quickly! Make sure to pack sunglasses, sun hats and sunscreen.
What to Pack for the Balloon Fiesta with Kids - Afternoon Session
The afternoon session starts warm and sunny and ends cool and dark. Most people start arriving around 4:30-5PM and stay until the fireworks end around 8:30-9PM.
When you arrive at Balloon Fiesta park you will need hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Once it starts getting dark you will want to add layers. The evenings are not as cold as the early mornings. We always bring our own glow sticks, toys, balls etc. so that we can still have fun but not spend extra at the park. It can also be helpful to pack a headlamp because it is fully dark on the way back to your hotel.
What to Wear at the Balloon Fiesta with Kids
As mentioned above, it is cold in the mornings at Balloon Fiesta Park! When traveling to The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with kids make sure to dress your entire family in layers. For us, this translates to our standard travel uniform which is:
- Waterproof light hiking boots
- Pants (hiking, jeans, whatever is comfortable)
- Base layer t-shirt
- Sweater/fleece
- Down Jacket
In the mornings your kids will most likely want a beanie and gloves as well.
In addition to being chilly in the morning, the grass is really wet so waterproof shoes are essential!
For more information on layering, take a look at our article on just that: Layering While Traveling with Kids.
2. A Balloon Fiesta Weekend with Kids
Now that we have the where to stay, what to pack and wear out of the way, let’s get into the details of what a typical balloon fiesta weekend with kids looks like! Our typical Balloon Fiesta weekend is a bit of a whirlwind, but so worth it! The Balloon Fiesta is typically the first and second weekend of October and we attend one of those two weekends.
Friday - Day 1 - Arrival
Road trip to Albuquerque arriving in the evening.
For more information on packing, road trips, flying, potty training etc. while traveling with kids, take a look at The Kid Packer’s Travel with Kids Tips!
Saturday - Day 2 - Part 1 Mass Ascension
Quick Look: Up early for mass ascension (session 1), hike/lunch/nap, then back to Balloon Fiesta Park for the Twilight Twinkle Glow (6pm) and Afterglow Firework Show (8pm) (session 2).
Tip: Continually check Balloon Fiesta and local news social media for conditions and schedule updates as soon as you wake up!
In order to get the most out of your mass ascension experience you have to get there early. Really early. Around 5:30/6am. Don’t worry! It’s totally worth it!
There are three main ways to get to Balloon Fiesta Park:
1. Drive and park ($20/vehicle – cash only). Upside: You have your own car. Downside: Traffic is absolutely terrible during the Balloon Fiesta and it takes a really long time to get there.
2. Park and Ride ($22/adult, $10/child 5+). Upside: Admission to the Balloon Fiesta is included, the bus takes an expedited route, your return is included. Downside: You have to purchase in advance, you have to load onto a bus with all of your gear, there are still lines throughout the process (including the return trip).
3. Walk/Ride Bikes (free). This option is only applicable if your lodging is close to Balloon Fiesta Park. Regardless of how close you are staying, this options includes a lot of walking (multiple miles per sessions total). This is our preferred method because it gives us the most flexibility. If you walk and your child is too big for a stroller, consider them riding a scooter. We just lock it up at a bike rack outside of the park.
If you bike, there is a bike route to the park and a free bike valet service provided.
When you arrive at balloon fiesta park, you go through security and have your ticket (mobile or printed) scanned. If you are using a baby backpack carrier or stroller, plan to remove your child during the security screening at the entrance to the park. After you’re through those lines, hop straight in line for a hot cup of pinon coffee and and breakfast burrito with green chili. Once the main crowds arrive the lines for concessions get extremely long. With breakfast in hand, enjoy the opening ceremony and dawn patrol. Dawn patrol is around a dozen balloons that lift off just before sunrise. It’s exciting to see the first balloons of the day up and on their way but it also provides information about wind conditions and where the balloons may drift during mass ascension.
While on the field, keep your eye on the flag by the main stage. The flag will be either green, yellow or red. A green flag day is what you are hoping for. Throughout the morning there are commentators over the loud speakers providing general information about the balloon fiesta, details about particular balloons and daily events. The further away from the stage/concessions the more difficult it is to hear their banter if interested. Cell service is very limited at Balloon Fiesta Park!
Once mass ascension is underway, balloons as far as you can see are on the ground, being inflated and lifting off! Being on the field truly makes this an immersive and exhilarating event especially for kids! Be prepared for your little ones to point out every balloon and for their favorite to change every few minutes! Keep a look out for the special shape balloons! Our family favorite is the zebra!
After the balloons lift off, the ground crews depart and balloon chasing begins. The balloons land all over Albuquerque! When weather conditions are perfect, a phenomenon called the ‘Albuquerque Box’ can come into play. This is where the balloons are able to lift off, cross the field, rise up, travel back across the field then land back where they started.
Tip: Restrooms (porta-potties) are available in various locations in Balloon Fiesta Park. For shorter lines, cross to the west side of the field (straight across from the concessions) and avoid the lines near the entrances.
Once all of the balloons have lifted off most people start filing out of Balloon Fiesta Park. You can return to your lodging the same way you arrived.
Saturday - Day 2 - Part 2 Sandia Crest
When traveling to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with kids, you may need a break after the excitement of the morning. For us, the perfect day after all of the excitement of the morning, is to take a drive up to Sandia Crest. From Balloon Fiesta Park the drive is about an hour. We typically stop for coffee and enjoy the drive while our little one takes a nap. Once you get to the Sandia Crest parking area, you pay the parking fee ($3/day/vehicle). We take the ridge trail 1.5 miles towards Ten 3 Restaurant and the Aerial Tram. You can make a quick stop on the trail at Kiwanis Cabin for spectacular views of the city of Albuquerque. You absolutely can not beat the fresh crisp air and golden aspen leaves on this trail. We then take in a late lunch, hike back and drive to our hotel to get ready for the evening session of the Balloon Fiesta!
Alternatively, you can reserve Sandia Peak Tramway tickets (the day before or day of your visit) and take the tram to the top! The tram stop is directly next to Ten 3 restaurant and offers spectacular views of the city and mountains.
Other great options for the time between session 1 and 2 of the Balloon Fiesta with kids are:
- Petroglyph National Monument
- Exploring the city of Albuquerque
- Rio Grande Nature Center State Park
- Take a rest at your hotel/take a swim in the pool
Saturday - Day 2 - Part 3 - Twilight Twinkle Glow
The fun of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with kids most definitely does not end in the morning! The evening session is a ton of fun and completely different than the morning. Most people begin arriving between 4:30 and 5PM. We typically set up on our packable blanket and have a picnic dinner that we picked up on the way (usually subs or something simple). While people are streaming in, balloon teams are beginning to arrive with their trucks and trailers to set up.
We usually end up moving our spot to accommodate balloons which is part of the experience! After dinner we like to walk around the field as the balloons set up for a truly spectacular event! Once the balloons are all inflated and the sun is down (around 6-6:30PM) the balloon teams begin synchronizing the flickering of their flames and lighting up their balloons without lifting off! It is a beautiful sight and everyone is full of excitement! After the Twilight Twinkle Glow, the balloons deflate and the crowds set up for the firework show which begins around 8-8:30PM. We usually watch most of the show from the grass on the South side of Balloon Fiesta Park then start walking towards the exit before the grand finale to beat the crowds.
Sunday - Day 3 - Mass Ascension - Depart
If you’ve been lucky, by this point in your Balloon Fiesta weekend, you’ve seen a lot of balloons! If, for some reason, you were unable to attend mass ascension the prior morning or the balloons did not lift off, we would highly suggest you go to Balloon Fiesta Park and attend session 1. Alternatively, if you were able to attend both sessions and had the most amazing time, you could join the balloon chasers instead! For us, this entails breakfast in the car, windows down and driving around Northern Albuquerque waiting for balloons to start landing. Amazingly, they land anywhere from parking lots to empty fields and it is so fun to watch!
Around 10AM, you have probably seen what you came to see and it’s time to start your drive back! Be prepared for your kids to take a long nap in the car because it’s been a weekend for the record books!
The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with Kids - Summary
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is an event known worldwide and is on many a bucket list. Not only is this a spectacular event for adults, but an awe-inspiring event for kids of all ages. Babies enjoy the colors and closeness with family. Young children love the shapes, colors and lights. Older children enjoy the fun events, balloons and staying up past their bed time.
The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with kids is truly a fantastic way to spend a weekend and one that none will forget!
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