Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

The first event was located in the parking lot of the Coronado Center Shopping Mall with 20,000 spectators and with balloonists from Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Texas taking part.

The next year Albuquerque hosted the first World Hot-Air Balloon Championships in February and the fiesta became an international event.

To maintain interest in Albuquerque's bid to host the championships, a balloon rally was held in February of that year.

On any given day during the festival, up to 100,000 spectators may be on the launch field where they are provided the rare opportunity to observe inflation and take off procedures.

The Balloon Fiesta 49th Edition, like most public gatherings in 2020, was postponed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dawn Patrol began at the Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when two California balloonists developed position lighting systems that allowed them to fly at night.

Fellow balloonists appreciate the Dawn Patrol because they can watch the balloons and get an early idea of wind speeds and directions at different altitudes.

The first wave of the mass ascension typically begins at around 7 am, around the time of Albuquerque's sunrise in early October.

Some of the most famous shapes include a milk cow, a wagon coach, twin bees, and many others like soda pop cans and animals.

The fiesta is one of Albuquerque's largest tourist attractions and constitutes a major source of income for the city and local businesses.

During events involving on-field targets, such as the "Key Grab" (where pilots attempt to grab prizes, including a set of keys to a new vehicle, from atop tall, flexible poles), it's not uncommon to see the same balloon make 5 or 6 passes at the targets, simply by working the "Box" to keep returning to the field.

[15] On October 9, 2004, while landing, a Smokey Bear imaged balloon collided with, and became entangled in, one of KKOB's radio transmitter towers.

However, the tower was energized and could have led to electrocution once the passengers set foot on ground, so KKOB shut down its transmitter following the accident in order to enable them to climb down to safety.