Join a Hot-Air Balloon Chase Crew
LOOK UP ON ANY CLEAR DAY in Albuquerque, and you might spot a colorful globe drifting across the sky. “The balloons would land on the dirt road down the street from us,” says Michael Kerns, who grew…
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Category: Events & Festivals
Get to Know This Young Balloon Pilot
“I’M GONNA GO HOT!” Kierstynn Wehner shouts to her crew over the loud, droning noise of a nearby inflation fan. It’s just after sunrise in Rio Rancho as the 17-year-old triggers and steers a 15-foot…
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Don’t Miss These Balloon Fiesta Glow Events
Dates and times below are for the 2026 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Balloon events are weather dependent. Check the official event schedule and Fiesta updates before heading out. Krispy…
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Tips for Camping Out at Balloon Fiesta
Scott Hughes and his wife, Lynn Gurnee, have hauled their Keystone Springdale travel trailer from Wyoming to Albuquerque for Balloon Fiesta every year since 2017. “It’s a way for us to see the…
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Meet This Legendary Balloon Pilot
JIM AHERN’S BALLOONING CAREER was peaking right as things were starting to take off. “I was in the airline business before ballooning,” Ahern recalls. “Back in 1978, ballooning was just a hobby.” At…
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Balloon Fiesta Takes You Up, Up, and Away
AT 5 A.M., DARKNESS HANGS LIKE A CURTAIN over Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta Park, hiding the riot of colors, shapes, and sounds about to be unveiled in the morning light. For now, you and the thousands…
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Hatch Is for Chile Lovers
OUTSIDE THE PEPPER POT RESTAURANT, Hatch resident Rodrigo Varela is chatting with friends and family when a fire engine’s siren interrupts them. As the vehicle turns onto West Hall Street, Varela…
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Tips for Zozobra Newbies
Be cool. “The first thing is, go with a positive attitude,” says Ray Sandoval, Zozobra event chair. “You’re there to get rid of negative energy. Don’t bring negative energy with you.” Be prepared…
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Turn Your Glooms into Smoke
➤ Please burn cancer. ➤ I want to forget my military memories and be happy in my civilian life. ➤ My negativity, needing more money, not being able to do more, my not wanting to travel, not being able…
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ZozoFest Gets the Party Going
IT’S THE PARTY BEFORE THE PARTY. ZozoFest, which takes place annually the weekend before the Burning of Zozobra, provides a first look at Old Man Gloom, a chance to stuff glooms into the puppet, and…
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