Travel Guide: Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival and Santa Fe
Intro
If I had to use one word to describe the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, it would be “magical.” Wow! I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed seeing all of the hot air balloons up close and in the sky. If you’re wanting a quick adventure in the fall and you love picturesque settings, this is definitely something you should have on your bucket list. Along with seeing the Fiesta, we also decided to add a day in Santa Fe since it is only an hour away from Albuquerque. We wanted to see as much as New Mexico as we could in a short weekend.
Do you need help planning your weekend at the Balloon Fiesta? Keep reading!
Before you go
Real Talk: We decided in July that we were going to this event and I started to plan and make reservations. We have friends that decided the week before the Fiesta that they wanted to go, and they were able to book things and have a great time. All that to say, if you’re not a planner like me, you can still make a trip to the Balloon Fiesta work!
There are two sessions daily at the Balloon Fiesta, which are divided into morning events and evening events. There are no ballooning activities between the morning and evening sessions. Most of the things I read recommended to go to the Fiesta for at least 3 days to make sure you’re able to see at least one morning event and one evening event. Hot air balloons are highly weather dependent and will not go up if conditions related to the wind, clouds, rain, or visibility are not right. (The weekend before we went, flights were canceled due to fog.) I downloaded the Balloon Fiesta app which sent updates on the flight schedule based on the weather. Because the weather can be unpredictable, you may have to be flexible with your schedule.
We were lucky that we were able to see both our planned morning session and afternoon session and nothing was canceled. We had room in our schedule to make other sessions if we had to change plans.
Reservations
When we first decided we wanted to go to the Balloon Fiesta, we wanted to cut costs by camping. When I looked up campgrounds in Albuquerque and the surrounding areas, everything was booked — in July! Since camping was out, we turned to AirBnB. While their were still options, the website said that 70% of the accommodations in Albuquerque were already booked and we could tell they had been picked through. We ended up booking a private room (which was actually two rooms) for the 3 of us going and it turned out to be a really sweet spot! The hosts could not have been more accommodating and we ended up loving our choice. I picked it because it was close to the Coronado Center where we would be taking the bus to the park. We also booked a studio apartment for Santa Fe and were very happy with it.
General Parking vs Park & Ride
If you’re not close enough to walk or ride your bike to the park or your hotel doesn’t have a shuttle to the park, you have two choices — general parking or Park & Ride. General Parking is where you park your car outside of the park and it costs $15 per session you attend. Parking spots are limited and lots can fill up around 7am on the weekends. Park & Ride tickets are $15 per person which includes your general admission ticket. There are 4 locations to park your car across Albuquerque and you are taken in buses to and from Fiesta Park. Park & Ride is only available at the end of the week (Thursday-Sunday) because that’s when a majority of the crowds come. Since we were going on the last weekend of the Fiesta, we opted for the Park & Ride tickets from the Coronado Center. I purchased those before we left. We were able to get straight on the buses for the evening session on Friday, but we had to wait in a fairly long line to get on the buses the next morning and to get back on the buses from the park. If you want the flexibility of a car (if you have kids or a lot of stuff), I would recommend using general parking. If you prefer to not mess with the headache of driving in traffic and finding a parking spot (and don’t mind waiting in a line), Park & Ride is a great option. We bought our tickets a few months out, but I think you could probably buy them the week before and be fine.
If you want to ride in a hot air balloon, I would recommend researching and buying tickets before you leave. Rainbow Ryders is the only company that launches balloons inside the park and you’re looking at around $450 per person. There are outside agencies that launch balloons outside during the park, but prices are elevated during the FIesta and start around $300.
Real Talk: I really wanted to ride in a balloon, but I’m also a cheapskate and the cheapest flights still felt expensive (and sketchy). I’ll wait for another (cheaper) opportunity.
Weather
Located in the desert, expect cool (COLD) mornings and for temperatures to rise as the sun comes up. We experienced 30 degree temperatures in the morning with highs in the mid-70’s in the afternoon and back to the 50's in the evening.
Packing
Because of the cooler temperatures than we had been experiencing in Texas, the most important thing to bring is layers, especially for the morning. You can always take off your jacket and gloves once the temperatures start to rise, but you will be glad you had cold weather gear for the mornings.
Here is what was on our list to bring:
Day-packs
Jackets/Sweaters
Beanie/baseball cap
Gloves
Tissues, Sunscreen, Chapstick
Sunglasses
Blankets
We thought about chairs, but we didn’t want to carry those around the park.
Cash
Headlamp (if you’re getting there at 4am)
Printed Park & Ride tickets (if you’re using their bus system)
Money
While some vendors take a credit card, many of them took cash only. Bring cash if you’re wanting to buy food at the Fiesta.
Our 4 Day Itinerary at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and Santa Fe
Day 1: Get to Albuquerque and go to an afternoon session
Real Talk: To save money, we drove the 10 hours to Albuquerque from Waco. We left from work on Thursday, spent the night in Lubbock (a 5 hour drive), and drove the remaining 5 hours the following day. In Lubbock, we grabbed breakfast burritos at Burrito Tower and to-go coffee at Sugar Brown’s Coffee before heading to Albuquerque.
Arrive in Albuquerque and eat lunch at Fork & Fig
This was a tasty little salad and sandwich cafe. We knew we would be making some “unhealthy” food choices over the next few days (eating alllll the fried food at the festival), so this place was a good spot for tasty, healthy options.
Check into your accommodation
Grab a caffeine boost at Little Bear Coffee
We really enjoyed the atmosphere of this coffee shop!
Park your car & ride the bus to the Fiesta
We ended up getting to the Coronado Center around 3:45pm. After going through a metal detector and scanning our tickets, we were immediately boarded onto a bus.
Walk around and look at the vendors
Because the evening balloon glow didn’t start until 6pm and we arrived around 4:15pm, we spent the time in between walking up and down the park looking at all of the food stalls and browsing some of the vendors. It was very similar to going to a hometown fair. We ate corn dogs and mini donuts for dinner and loved every minute of it.
See the evening glow and fireworks
A balloon “glow” is a static display of the balloons in which their burners illuminate them. We were able to see the special shapes glow and watched as all the fun shapes came to life. After that, there were fireworks! If you’re doing the Park & Ride, I recommend not waiting too long to get in line for the bus because the line can get pretty long.
Day 2: Experience a morning session and explore Albuquerque
Real Talk: I had bought tickets for the 4am check-in time for the Park & Ride so we could make it for the Dawn Patrol (when a few balloons go up to test the weather), but our AirBnB hosts told us we didn’t need to get there that early. We arrived around 5:15am to find an extremely long line for the buses. We finally got to the park right around 6:30a when the glow was starting. If we had left at 4am, we would have just sitting at the park (in the cold) waiting, but if we had gotten to the bus line any later, we would have potentially missed the balloon glow and mass ascension. Be aware of the times of things starting, traffic, and parking and plan accordingly.
See the morning glow at the park
Watch the Mass Ascension and grab a breakfast burrito
This is where the magic happens! The Mass Ascension is when all 500+ balloons launch from Balloon Fiesta Park during the same time frame. It usually takes less than two hours for all 500+ balloons to launch and most people leave after that which is around 9:30am. Again, the line for buses may be long.
Real Talk: After a late night and early morning, we were pretty tired after leaving the Balloon Fiesta. We decided that we needed to stay out as long we could and we could take naps in the afternoon before dinner.
Visit the ABQ Collective
We were invited by our AirBnB hosts (and the owners) to visit this place because they were having an “after Fiesta fiesta” with food trucks, local bands, and Breaking Bad memorabilia. The ABQ collective normally host a collection of 15 small, local businesses, but on this Saturday, they had even more vendors outside of their building. We grabbed coffee inside and walked around the different shops inside. Outside was the Breaking Bad RV (just for this event) and even an actor (Jeremiah Bitsui) from the show was there. It was a pleasant surprise!
Visit the Flea Market
This was a massive flea market, and if you’re into those things, you’ll like it. It mostly reminded of us very random garage sale that we would probably skip next time.
Browse the Old Town
This is the epicenter for the tourists shops. If you’re looking for souvenirs, this is the place to go.
Eat lunch at Modern General Feed and Seed
This wouldn’t be a stop for everyone, but we enjoyed this trendy brunch joint.
Grab a donut at Bristol Donut Company
I read this place had great donuts but failed to realize they were located in a double decker bus! You can sit up top on the second tier of the bus while you enjoy your donuts. Really cool venue and really good donuts!
Siesta Time
After waking up so early, we were zombies around 3:00pm. We went back to our AirBnB and took a needed nap before dinner.
Eat dinner at Green Jeans Farmery
This place is a shipping container complex with indoor/outdoor gathering places for people to eat, drink, and shop. You can choose from different places to grab food (a great place if everyone wants something different). Our food wasn’t spectacular, but we enjoyed the experience.
Option: Sandia Peak Tramway ($25) and optional dinner at Sandiago’s Grill
I heard this has great views of Albuquerque, but we were honestly too tired to go. Next time!
Day 3: Hike Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and Drive to Santa Fe
Real Talk: I had planned for us to sleep in on this morning, but when I saw on the park’s website that during the festival, people were waiting up to two hours for a parking spot at the trailhead, I thought, “No thank you.” We woke up early and got to the trailhead when it opened at 8am (about an hour drive) and stopped at a Starbucks on the way to get our caffeine fix.
Hike Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument (3 miles/1.5 hours)
I can’t tell you how much we loved this hike. It was super easy AND beautiful. What more could you ask for? Geologically stunning — this is a must hike if you’re in the area.
Drive to Santa Fe (40 miles/1 hour)
Eat Lunch at Cafe Pasqual’s
This is one of the more popular places downtown, so get ready to wait. Luckily, there are plenty of places downtown to browse and they will hold your spot if you’re not there when they call your name.
Browse Santa Fe Plaza
We had a great time browsing the shops and outdoor marketplaces. Depending on your personality, you could spend 2 hours to all day here browsing. If you’re interested, visit the “Miraculous Staircase” at the Loretto Chapel ($5 entry fee).
Grab a coffee at Iconik Coffee Roasters (if you need to rest your feet) or Holy Spirit Expresso (if you want to grab and go.)
Visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
O’Keeffe is one of my favorite artists, so if you’re a fan, you will enjoy browsing her work.
Option: Walk down Canyon Road Arts District
If you’re looking for more art and shops to browse, this is another great area. After our hike in the morning, we were pretty tired and didn’t have enough energy for more walking.
Grab dessert at Kakawa Chocolate House
If you’re a fan of chocolate (in eating AND drinking form), you will love stopping here to have a truly great chocolate experience.
Eat dinner at La Choza (unless it’s closed)
I had planned for us to eat dinner at La Choza, but it ended up being closed on Sunday’s. We ended up eating at Maria’s and it was pretty good. They had over 100 different margarita options, but their food was so-so. (With our Texas blood, we have pretty high standards when it comes to Mexican food.)
Day 4: Eat breakfast and head home
Eat breakfast at The Pantry
This is the locals’ favorite diner with a traditional breakfast menu.
Drive home
The drive back to Waco was 11 hours/700 miles. Yikes. We passed the time by listening to podcasts and even stopped at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo on the way home. (A must stop for Texas travelers!)
That’s It!
Obviously if you’re flying into Albuquerque or not driving from Texas, your itinerary won’t look exactly like ours, but we hope it will still be helpful as you plan your Fiesta adventure. Leave any comments or questions below!