Save The Date

Join us October 5-13, 2024 for the 52nd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta powered by ExxonMobil in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More information available at www.balloonfiesta.com.

Balloon Fiesta Insider

Did you know that each year, Balloon Fiesta has a theme? The theme for the 52^nd event is “Embrace the Sky.” You’ll find this theme reflected in the merchandise and the printed and digital artwork for the event, scheduled to take place October 5-13, 2024. Start planning your trip to celebrate “Embrace the Sky” by visiting Balloon Fiesta’s website, www.balloonfiesta.com.

Merchandise Update

If you are still looking for the perfect 2024 calendar, look no further! The Balloon Fiesta 2024 calendars are still available for purchase. Each month features photos from last year's official photographers along with a QR code to scan for a video of more great images. Prices for calendars are below.

Individual Calendar: $5 per calendar 

Case of 25 Calendars: $50 per case

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta’s gift shop is open at the Balloon Fiesta offices from 8-5 Monday through Friday. If you have an order that needs to be shipped, due to not being able to make it to the shop, send us an email at giftshop@balloonfiesta.com and let us know how we can facilitate getting your order to you. 

To be the first to know about new items, sales, and other Balloon Fiesta Stuff, make sure you are subscribed to What’s Up Wednesday. https://balloonfiestastuff.com/pages/wuw-subscribe

Faces of Fiesta

Name: Jory Slingerland

Title: Sponsorship Sales Assistant

Years with Balloon Fiesta: Less than 1 year

Overview: Jory is a native New Mexican, born and raised in Albuquerque, and a New Mexico State University Alumni. Jory’s professional experiences include college student activities and engagement, custom tour design, large-group, and corporate event planning. When not working you can find Jory with her dogs, Bryce, and Denali, attending a local sporting event with her family, or traveling.



Rapid fire with Jory:

Start time during Balloon Fiesta: A typical day during Fiesta starts with waking up early, so I can be at Sponsor Hospitality by 4:00am. Alongside with our amazing navigators, we ensure the sponsors have a memorable experience. If there is an evening session, I return to the Sponsor Hospitality Area by 4:00 p.m. to prep for the session. I really enjoy my day conversing with Balloon Fiesta Sponsors and getting to know more about them. Another aspect I love is getting to walk down Main Street and talk with our Exhibitors and our Product Sampling Booths. It is always so fun to see the guest interactions!

Favorite spot on the field to watch the balloons: The south side of the field has a slight incline, and it provides a slightly higher vantage point to see the entirety of the field. I also love to see the balloons flying overhead; it is so fun to look up and see the balloons, but also hear the conversations being had and the sound of the burners. Experiencing Fiesta with the Sponsors and guests in the Sponsor Hospitality area really enhances the viewing environment. In the evenings, there is also a great view of the Afterglow™ Fireworks!

Inside the Basket

Cameron Wall is the pilot of "Grandma's Legacy, a custom balloon with his Grandmother's underwater watercolor painting printed on the entirety of the balloon.

In this month’s Inside the Basket, Cameron shares more about his ballooning story and gives advice to those who are thinking of becoming a pilot.

January in Ballooning

On January 31, 2015 Leonid Tiukhtvaev and Troy Bradley broke the duration world record for AA-14 type balloons. He launched from Saga, Japan in a Bradley Gas 350 aircraft balloon and flew a total of 160 hours and 34 minutes landing in Baja, Mexico. This record still stands today. Read more about this feat, here.

January Photo-of-the-Month

We have received some beautiful pictures of the 51^st event, submitted through the Cindy Petrehn Memorial Photo Contest! Below is the winning photograph in the Faces of Fiesta category by Tiffany Luong.

Do you have a Balloon Fiesta photo of which you’re proud? Share your favorite Balloon Fiesta image on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and tag our page for a chance to be featured in next month’s newsletter!

Read all about it

Check out the latest media coverage about Balloon Fiesta:

• The Albuquerque Journal highlights Balloon Fiesta to get new leadership - again.
• Travel2Next highlights 20 Things to do in Albuquerque, including the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Sponsor Spotlight

The University of New Mexico Athletics provides over 320 scholarships at the Division 1 level to student athletes pursing their college education while performing at the highest level of college athletics. The 52^nd event marks UNM Athletics’ 16^th year as a Balloon Fiesta Official Sponsor. Their sponsorship includes a Corporate Village Tent, concession booth and the recently designed Hot Air Balloon, “Cherry on Top”. At last year’s event, UNM Athletics had a concession booth for the first time operated by The Lobo Den, the official merchandiser of the Lobos. Their sponsorship provides their team with the opportunity to support the largest event in the state year in and year out, and live out their department values of positivity, family, and excitement. The University of New Mexico Athletics’ favorite part of being involved with the event is seeing the excitement it brings to the city for an entire week and how it reaches people from all over the world. We thank them for their support!

For a complete list of Balloon Fiesta sponsors, click here.