Home / New Mexico / Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
This event has ended.
These were the 2026 dates. The next dates will show here once the organizer announces them.
- When
- (9 days · Ended October 11, 2026)
- Where
- Albuquerque, NM
- Date source
- Organizer site · balloonfiesta.com
Official siteMap (OpenStreetMap)
About this event
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, first held in 1972, is billed as the world's largest international ballooning event, flown out of Balloon Fiesta Park beside the Rio Grande. Pilots use the Albuquerque Box, a mix of weather and landscape that can let a balloon take off and land in the same place. The park covers 360 acres, with 100 acres of grass and booths. Main Street fills with food and merchandise vendors, and the breakfast burrito is the grab-and-go meal the fiesta made famous. Named sessions include Dawn Patrol, Mass Ascension, Balloon Glows, and the Special Shape Rodeo, plus Music Fiesta.
Our take: Get there for Dawn Patrol or Mass Ascension if the flying is the point, and grab a breakfast burrito on Main Street while you wait.
Parking
Park and Ride and a bike valet are ways to reach Balloon Fiesta Park.
Good to know
October 3-11. Music Fiesta is Saturday, October 10.
More events near Albuquerque
- ABQ RIDE Luminaria Tour: holiday lights event in Albuquerque, NM — December 24, 2026.
- Albuquerque Turkey Trot: charity run or walk in Albuquerque, NM — November 26, 2026.
- City of Albuquerque Veterans Day Parade: Veterans Day parade in Albuquerque, NM — November 11, 2026.
- Downtown Growers' Market Albuquerque: farmers market in Albuquerque, NM — April 4 - November 7, 2026.
- Haunted Scarecrow Depths of Despair: festival in Albuquerque, NM — September 16 - October 31, 2026.
- Making Strides Against Breast Cancer — Albuquerque: charity run or walk in Albuquerque, NM — November 1, 2026.
Browse more
USA Fest Bot is not affiliated with this event and sells no tickets. Dates can change, so confirm on the official site before you go (how dates work). See something wrong? Send a correction.