➤ Taos Mountain Balloon Rally
October 27–29
Fall colors in the mountains add to the spectacle of this intimate event, which draws about 35 balloons each year.

➤ Artesia Balloons & Tunes Festival
November 3–5
Balloons fill the crisp morning skies over Artesia, and the community turns out for concerts and festivities throughout town.

➤ Red Rock Balloon Rally
December 1–3
More than 200 balloons fly among the red rock formations near Gallup, and spectators are invited to join a crew.

➤ Balloons Over Angel Fire
June 14–16, 2024
In the high mountains of the Moreno Valley, this rally offers a chance to talk to the pilots and admire a field full of balloons as they ascend in the cool morning air.

➤ International Santa Fe Trail Balloon Rally
July 5–7, 2024
Celebrate Independence Day with three days of pancake breakfasts and hot-air balloons at La Mesa Airfield, in Ratón, where you can watch up to 20 balloons that participate in liftoff.

➤ Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta
August 2–4, 2024
Boats fill the water as balloons dot the sky (and skim the water) at New Mexico’s largest lake.

➤ White Sands Hot Air Balloon Invitational
September 2024
The mass ascension from White Sands National Park is a stunning sight while watching from atop a gypsum dune. 

Read more: Second-generation balloonist Karen Converse stepped away to raise her children before returning to her balloon family.