Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 51st. Yes, this year is the 51st year for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (AIBF). Yes, we are very excited as it will be a very very big event. Yes, bigger than years past. There will be about 550 hot air balloons, a good number will be special shapes. There will be flying competitions, mass ascensions, special shapes, balloon glows, dawn patrols and that is just the hot air balloons. This year AIBF will host the Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race. There will be fireworks, skydivers, chainsaw carving, car shows, entertainment etc etc etc.
This year there will be two Drone shows, RC Balloons, and Giant Kites will fill the skies.
Yes, I
will be part of the AIBF Official Event Photo Team. This means long days
of taking the photos, editing, submitting etc etc. My days will start
about 0430 and end at 2200 ish. Hence my time to write the blog is
basically non existent during the event.
Maybe a bit of AIBF History
is in order.
From a small gathering of 13 balloons in 1972, the
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has grown to become the largest
balloon event in the world. Held each year during the first week in
October, the Balloon Fiesta now features about 600 balloons and
700 pilots.
The first gathering of 13 balloons in 1972 was held
in the parking lot of Coronado Center Mall in Albuquerque. The following
year, 13 countries took part in the "First World Hot Air Balloon
Championship", the world's largest ballooning event, held at the New
Mexico State Fairgrounds.
By 1978 Albuquerque was playing host
to 273 entries. The number of balloons steadily increased, with 600 in
1988 and 903 balloons in 1999. The organizers of the Balloon Fiesta
registered more than 1000 balloons in the year 2000. Due to shrinking
landing site availability, the number of hot air balloons is now
limited.
In 1972 there were about 10,000 guests that viewed the
first Balloon Fiesta. Hundreds of thousands of guests visit Balloon
Fiesta each year, and hundreds of thousands more fans watch the balloons
from outlying areas and on TV.
In 2017, fans around the world
can now watch the event online via Balloon Fiesta Live!, a
professionally-produced live stream, with expert commentary, of all the
flying events. To accommodate the increases in balloons and guests, the
Balloon Fiesta’s home field has grown from a corner in a mall parking
lot, to its present home, a permanent site that is more than 350 acres.
I
should add that over the years AIBF has added enhancements to the
event, glows and fireworks and more.
If you have AIBF as a bucket list
event start planning a year in advance. The Best place to start is with
the AIBF website: https://balloonfiesta.com/
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