Balloon Fiesta - anyone been?

[charliebravo]

Daydreaming about future vacations and I'd love to add the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM to my list.

Has anyone experienced the event via RV? Looking for tips, tricks, suggestions, stories, positives, and negatives!

And if you've been at all - can someone explain the ticket pricing The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - Ticketing Information & Hospitality

I'm lost on the difference between general admission vs "first session attended"?

[wags999]

Gondola club includes parking and other goodies.. Pay more for the first day you attend, and less after that. Don't plan on driving there, won't happen. Probably have a hard time getting reservations anywhere near there by now. Normally full a year in advance. It is interesting to watch them go up fly and come back to where they started, doing a "box".

[Coach33]

Grew up in ABQ, Balloon Fiesta is a MUST SEE! One of may favorite things about back home.

[troutslayer]

Went two years ago and it was great! Never have seen anything like it (also never saw so many cameras in one place in my life). Stayed at High Desert RV Park on the west side of ABQ. The park & ride ticket price includes the bus ride down to the Fiesta (and return) plus the entrance fee so it was not only a good deal but very convenient. The RV park was a 5 minute drive to the park & ride pick-up location so that was also very convenient. The pricing is a little different from what I remember but there are two sessions per day and they charge for each entrance. So I "assume" that the "first session attended" would mean unlimited admission to any of the first sessionss of each day...maybe someone else can clarify that.

[havnfun]

It's definitely something you want to see but plan on it at least a year in advance. I live an hour west of Alb. and have been there 5 or 6 times with friends. Might see ya there. Anybody want 15,000 balloon pictures? LOL
Troutslayer's comments about staying on the west side and shuttling in each dawn is the best one, as the traffic is ridiculous.
Happy RVing,
Jeff

[charliebravo]

So staying at a park near the site (but not actually on it) is the best option?

[troutslayer]

My opinion is to either stay on site so you can walk to the activities or close to the shuttle pick-up points so you can let them do the driving. The shuttle we took was about a 20 minute ride to the Fiesta grounds but they have a route that goes directly there. No sitting in traffic either way. Maybe you could look up the Park and Ride locations from last year to see what RV parks are close.

[pawpaw]

Just made reservations for Balloon Fiesta at Enchanted Trails RV Resort in Albuquerque. There are still a couple of campgrounds with space available, but they're filling up pretty fast.

[Crazycora]

We went in 2012. left Utah went to Des Moines to pick up new tt then traveled to Albuquerque down through Arizona, to Lake Mead and home again. Best trip ever. The decorations in tt are pictures of the balloons we took.It was very cold that year.Next time we will take much warmer clothes but it is a definite return trip!

[cbss]

This is one of the greatest trips I have ever gone on. I think this is a must on the list. We went in 2008 and will be going back soon. I attended the 2008 Balloon Fiesta green grass, and the experience has never failed to take my breath away. Watching the balloons light up in the predawn chill, feeling the thrill as these impossibly huge creations gently leave the earth fills me with a sense of wonder – truly the stuff that dreams are made of! Albuquerque is the premier ballooning city due to the crystal skies, perfect October climate and a phenomenon called the "Albuquerque Box." With a combination of weather patterns and geographic landscape, the box allows balloonists to control and even retrace their adventure. Balloon Fiesta Park covers over 200 acres and is filled with balloons and vendors selling everything from traditional New Mexican food to Balloon memorabilia. Each year balloons come from around the world to participate in the event and news coverage originates from more than 50 countries. It has become the most photographed event in the world.

https://cbss.smugmug.com/Travel/Albu...International/