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The 2027 Fiesta runs from Saturday 2 to Sunday 10 October at Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the 55th edition. In 2026 both weekends carried mass ascensions, and evening glows fell on both Saturdays, the first Sunday, the Thursday and the Friday.
These are the 2026 times on the same weekdays; the 2027 schedule comes nearer the date. Each morning began with Dawn Patrol at 6am and a launch at 7am. The weekends and the Wednesday had full mass ascensions, and evening glows started at 6:30pm with fireworks after.
A mass ascension morning, when the whole field launches together. In 2026 those were the two Saturdays, the two Sundays and the Wednesday, and the last Saturday also had the Night Magic Glow that evening, both shows in one day. On Thursday and Friday the special shape balloons launched.
A general admission ticket covers one session, either a whole morning or a whole evening, on any day. Tickets are nonrefundable, but a session cancelled for weather is rain-checked and the ticket works for another session. The organiser sells its own tickets and authorises no third-party sellers online.
By Park and Ride bus from remote lots, bought online, or by car to the park's own lots, where parking is paid per session in cash. The organiser runs no hotel shuttle; some hotels run their own.
Inside the park by about 5:30am for a morning session, which means leaving the hotel by 4:30am. Late arrivals sit in traffic and miss the start of the mass ascension.
The launch can be delayed or cancelled, and pilots hear the decision at their morning briefing. Unless the weather is hazardous the park stays open, with a few balloons tethered on the field.
A wind pattern famous among balloonists, shaped by the terrain around the city. In the morning hours the surface wind at the park typically blows from the north.
Comfortable walking shoes, warm layers, a hat and gloves for the dawn, and a blanket or folding chair to sit on. Weapons are banned, and only trained service animals are let in.
Yes, but only with the one company licensed to sell balloon rides to the public from Balloon Fiesta Park. Seats on its flights are booked ahead online.
For nine days every October, hot air balloons launch from one field in Albuquerque, Balloon Fiesta Park. The Fiesta began in 1972 as the centrepiece of a local radio station's 50th birthday.
Each morning starts with a briefing at the pilot tower, where each pilot decides whether to fly. The public watches from the same field the balloons take off from.
2 to 10 Oct 2027
At seven on a mass ascension morning the whole field at Balloon Fiesta Park launches around you, so plan your trip around a weekend or the Wednesday.
2 to 10 Oct 2027. Times are approximate and can change from year to year.
Every time on this timeline is from the 2026 schedule, set on the same weekday; the 2027 schedule comes nearer the date. Dawn Patrol goes up at six and the first mass ascension follows at seven.
The first fireworks show of the Fiesta, after the evening session.
A second full launch, after Dawn Patrol at six.
An evening glow, with the balloons inflated on the field as dusk falls. Fireworks follow at eight.
Monday and Tuesday are quieter mornings: Dawn Patrol at six, then a balloon launch at seven.
The one weekday mass ascension, after Dawn Patrol at six.
The special shape balloons launch together, after Dawn Patrol at six.
The special shapes glow on the field after dark, then fireworks at eight.
A second morning for the shapes. In 2026 they glowed again that evening at 6:30pm, with fireworks at eight.
The last Saturday's mass ascension, after Dawn Patrol at six.
The Fiesta's last evening: the balloons glow on the field from 6:30pm, and the fireworks follow at 9:15pm.
Dawn Patrol at six, a Morning Glow at half past, and the final mass ascension at seven. There is no evening session on the last day.
You can walk the launch field. The organiser lets you move among the balloons while the crews inflate them, and talk to the pilots, as long as you never step on or over the fabric or the gear.
The evenings are a second show. At a glow the balloons inflate and stay on the ground after dark, and fireworks follow. On the Thursday and Friday the special shape balloons launch together in the morning and glow again that evening.
Dawn Patrol goes up at six, and the mass launch follows it. Dawn is cold, so dress warmly.
The wind decides whether the balloons fly: they launch only when the surface wind at the park is gentle. On one mass ascension morning in 2026 the green flag came down and a yellow flag went up, and the pilots inflated their balloons without taking off, a static display.
Food stalls, merchandise and exhibitors are on Main Street. Snacks and water are allowed, glass and alcohol are not, and bags are searched.
Hotels across Albuquerque fill for Fiesta week, so reserve a room at least six months ahead.
RV spaces at the park open up a week after the previous Fiesta and sell out fast.
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