Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Survival Kit: Everything a First-Timer Needs to Know
One of the things on my bucket list was to attend the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I did last year October!So the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, as it's called, happens every year in October. I attended the one last year. And I'm gonna give you a rundown of every single thing that happened. 
The first thing you’re going to want to know is that if you want to ride in a hot air balloon when it takes off, you need to book it right now. Although I had my ticket over two months in advance, I made a last-minute decision to ride the hot air balloon, but all the packages were sold out (for the weekend I was visiting).
You really do have to be up at the ass crack of dawn, I'm talking like 3 AM. I think I had my Uber come pick me up at 3:30 AM to drive me all the way there. And the amount of traffic was insane (stay with me, I figured out a way to avoid the traffic). I left early because I wanted to see the balloons light up in an event called “Dawn patrol.”
I was going to be in Albuquerque all weekend, and before I knew what it would be like at the fiesta, I had initially planned to see the ascension twice. On day one, my Uber driver put me on game. She said there was an easier, cheaper way to get to the fiesta with less traffic. I said, "Lay it on me, miss!!" 
Park and Ride bus for Balloon fiesta
Here’s your Ballon fiesta survival guide:
1. You go to the Ballon Fiesta website and buy something called a park and ride ticket. It costs about $25 and includes round-trip transportation. There are a few major take-off locations in the city, so I chose the one closest to me: Coronado Mall. I had my Uber drop me off at the mall’s parking lot, and then I joined the line of folks waiting to board the buses for the event, where school district buses were transporting folks to and fro. So I had my Uber pick me up at 3 AM because buses were only running from 4-5 AM (if I remember correctly). The line? The line of people waiting to board was insane, so keep that in mind. Also, an additional perk, besides being cheaper, is that the buses have an expedited route.
2. You need to be very warmly dressed. I thought I was smart and dressed warmly enough, but LOOOOOOOOL! I had to buy a sweater and a thique blanket.
Balloon fiesta take one:
After navigating through traffic in my Uber and everything, I was walking into the Ballon Fiesta at about 4:40 AM. It was colder than I had prepared for, so I bought a nice, thique blanket because I had no plans of sitting on the grass. I also bought this super-soft, warm, oversized alpaca hoodie.Yes, I did get up at the ass crack of dawn to avoid traffic and to get a good viewing spot. I did have to wait quite a bit for the show to start, and I was soooooo sleepy, but once I saw the Star Wars procession with Wookies and Stormtroopers, the nerd in me reactivated real quick. Yo! There were lightsabers, too; it was so cool. 
The show kinda sorta started at 5:40 with a fab drone show that was beautiful to experience. Next up, there’s the ‘dawn patrol’ where you get to see a select few balloons light up, and it was so cool! The whole crowd was screaming and cheering. And my goodness, the view at sunrise overlooking the Sandia mountains? It’s etched in my memory! 
Unfortunately, the balloons did not ascend on the first day because it was too windy, but it was still cool to see a lot of them inflated.
When I realized there wouldn't be a mass ascension, I took my sleepy self back to sleep and knocked out for about 8 hours. Ballon fiesta take Two:
On day two, I got to Coronado mall just before 4 AM, and even though the line was longer than Rapunzel’s hair, it was moving quickly because there were a lot of buses. This time around, I walked into the balloon fiesta at about 0520 in the morning. I had learned from day one and strategically positioned myself near where the balloons would be set up, so when they lit them up with fire, it warmed me up, and it was a unique POV, getting to see the balloons being set up and ascending. 
This time around, the balloons did ascend, and the crowd cheered loudly! The whole time I’m thinking to myself, “wow! I can’t believe I’m experiencing something so incredible.” 
By 9 AM, my neck was hurting so bad because I kept cranking my neck up to marvel at the cranes balloons in the skyyyyy. 
The balloons came in different shapes, colors, and sizes. There was a T-rex balloon, a capybara, a pink elephant, a Dracula-and-Frankenstein balloon, and yes, the Yoda-and-Darth Vader balloons went up, too. 
I cannot recommend this experience enough.It was a great time. I think in total, I stayed on the grounds for about 4 hours.Now let's backtrack. So, on my trip to Albuquerque, I actually lost my wallet somewhere between the Southwest boarding gate and getting into my Uber. I didn't notice until I arrived at my hotel, called Arrive, and I was pretty bummed out. It was a bit tedious to check in without my physical card and ID, but thankfully, they let me in.Let’s talk about Arrive:
Yo, a lot of things happened during the year that interrupted my ability to book my hotel as early as I would have liked, and a lot of the hotels were booked up for that weekend, but thankfully, I found a spot at Arrive Hotel, and it was really cute.
Sky high!!!
When I was getting my ticket and realized I wouldn't get a chance to ride a hot air balloon (something I really love and have done in Morroco and Mexico), I decided I wasn’t going all the way to New Mexico and not be in the sky! So I decided to go skydiving! This was soooo perfect because it was another thing I could tick off my bucket list. I found this Viva Skydive; on the outskirts of Albuquerque, in a small town called Belen. It cost me just under $500 to skydive with a tandem and get photos and videos too.
I did tandem skydiving and, oh my goodness!!! I want to do it every day! For someone who was gonna be, what, 20,000, 30,000 feet up in the air, I was not nervous at all. I was calm, I was chil… until the airplane door opened.
After being strapped in and prepped, my tandem and I walked up to the plane. It was a janky plane, but it did what it needed to do. I did have to lie on top of my tandem because we were strapped together, and there are no seats. I was fine all the way up until the airplane door opened and a gust of wind hit me; I said, “Actually, no!” I started reconsidering everything. Not me about to jump out of an airplane like I am not my mother’s first child, like I don't have a man at home who loves me, like I didn’t promise to buy my teenage sister a MacBook!! 
My tandem had me dangle my feet out of the airplane, which I did with my eyes closed, and then he pushed me out the airplane. I was screaming internally and terrified, but I very quickly calmed down, and when I locked in, I felt so alive, so free! It was one of the best things I’ve ever felt. I’m a junkie for heights, but even if you are afraid of heights, it won’t register because you are so far from the ground.It was amazing. It was amazing. It was amazing. When I landed. I said, “Okay, I'm going to do this again. That's how good it was!
I, of course, did not tell anyone in my family, and my best friend, whom I listed as my emergency contact, was freaking out, but hey! It was such a thrill! Once I came off my high and landed back on earth, I got about 30 photos and GoPro videos (I had to pay extra, but it was so worth it)! When I’m feeling hesitant to do something I need to do, I rewatch the videos, because if I can jump out of an airplane, what do I have to fear but fear itself.Eating in Albuquerque
On my first day, right after skydiving, I was nice and hungry because, technically, you shouldn't eat before jumping out of the sky at 30,000 feet. I headed to Frank's famous chicken and waffles. I had heard a lot about this Black-owned place, and it did not disappoint! All the decor inside was celebrating Black musicians, which was really nice, but watch out, the floor was reallllll slippery! I was slipping and sliding trying to get to the bathroom.
I heard a lot of good things about the Frontier restaurant as a place to eat. It was huge. It was right in front of the University of Mexico. Not much to say, it was basic diner food. The orange juice was phenomenal, and I had some pancakes. I didn't have any memorable food experiences in Albuquerque, to be very honest with you. I remember eating at the Artichoke Cafe. I really wanted to like it. It was cute, but I did not enjoy my food and had to send it back. 
I walked down to The 505, a food hall, to grab some food. Inside, there was this wall with pictures of famous people from Albuquerque, and of course, the dudes from Breaking Bad. No, I did not watch Breaking Bad. I tried many times, and I realized that was just not my ministry. I did watch Pluribus though!
(Other) things I enjoyed in ABQ
The city is very walkable and has a lot of murals.
Taking the bus to see more of the city. By the way, their transportation system is free. It's called ABQ ride if you're going to Albuquerque, and, like me, you’re not renting a car. ABQ ride is free and pretty easy to navigate.Autobots! Roll out!
I had accomplished two major things in Albuquerque, but I made time for one more: I had to pay my respects to the big boss, Optimus Prime. 
If you’re a fan of Transformers, there is a sculpture of the Decepticons and Autobots in Albuquerque, as some scenes were shot in New Mexico. To find the sculptures, you need to put "Sunwest Silver " into Google Maps. Right in the parking lot is a full-size Bumblebee, then a mini Megatron, Optimus Prime, and StarScream. 
All the things I enjoyed about my trip involved heights, so to close out my trip, I rode the Sandia Peak Tramway. So, essentially, Albuquerque is surrounded by the stunning Sandia Mountains, and this aerial tram climbs almost 11,000 feet into the sky, so I did that too! You do need to book your ticket in advance, as well as a time slot. The view absolutely took my breath away. The Earth really is beautiful, so sorry to the other balls of spinning gas in the solar system. Thousands of feet in the sky was a restaurant which was great because it was cold up there so I had me a hot chocolate and muffin and enjoyed the ambience. 
What a time, what a time!If you also love a bit of a thrill or a gentle thrill, because it wasn't anything so crazy, like a roller coaster. I would also recommend riding the Sandia Peak tramway.
I’ve made it easy for ya’ll by hyperlinking all the important spots. If you want some more juicy deets on my Albuqurque trip, click here. Until I book another flight somewhere… who knows where, follow me on Instagram and TikTok for more travel stories, tips, itineraries, and gist.
xxx
- Summer
