Albuquerque Balloon Festival Questions

[Powertour]

One of the bucket list type things the Mrs & I have is to take in the big annual balloon fest but we're unsure how to approach it from the RV side of things. We're thinking perhaps the 2020 one would be a target to attend.

Thought is to go there in the motorhome & stay for x-amt of days (2-3, maybe more?).

Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated as we checked out their website & are still not feeling which is the best option for people like us (more of less we're weekenders with a medium sized RV & usually rolling with our dogs).

Thanks

[otrfun]

We were notified a week ago that the Oct 2020 Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque was cancelled due to Covid-19. Any existing Oct 2020 campground reservations will automatically "roll-over" to the Oct 2021 Balloon Fiesta. If you want to cancel this roll-over with no penalty you must do so by July 24, 2020.

[Veebyes]

Done it 3 times. Best by far is the dry camping near the launch field. Wind currents what they usually are there is no need to leave your RV. The balloons come to you. 7:00 they begin to launch & by 7:15 they are right overhead. No need for reservations either. Arrive on Monday or Tuesday after opening weekend & you get right in. Shuttles run from early if you want to go to the field or you can walk or ride bikes.

[ependydad]

In case it helps anyone, here is a video showing the drive from I-25 North (we were coming from I-40) showing the drive to the Fiesta grounds (and specifically into the South RV Parking area to the Cemetery section).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvRm-nHaryA

[rocmoc]

We went last year. Camped in the festival grounds South of the Festival. Somethings to beware of - People ran their gens ALL of the time from before 5am and after 10pm (people pushed the quite time rule), we had more fumes and exhaust then driving in rush hour traffic, It is crowded, big time like New York Time Square on the balloon field no matter how early you get there, big lines at everything (food, entrance, etc.), Weather can be freezing or boiling hot & Wind shuts the whole thing down. Glad we did it ONCE, removed from bucket list!
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

[Edd505]

Book now for 2020 and you may have problems even now. RV parks fill for 40-50 miles any direction & as mentioned fees will double. One of the larger new is the RT 66 casino, about 25 miles out and I do not know if they take reservations.
Check here for RV parks in the area. http://www.campgroundreviews.com/

[jcsb]

We went several years ago via a FMCA trip. About a week. Daily activities and side trips. Stayed on the grounds, had E and W with mid week S clean out.

Well worth it.

As others have said, weather dictates if they fly or not. Afternoons not much but with side trips built in it was a great experience.

[ependydad]

Registration opens for the on-site RV parking a few days after the fiesta ends. So if you're looking at 2020, plan to register in early October of this year. In previous years, there was a very lax cancellation policy (i.e. 100% refund up until July).

Personally, for the experience, it's the Fiesta RV Parking or bust. I wouldn't want to stay anywhere else.

The spots there are either:
- dry camping with no utilities (either across the road in the south lot or closer with a big price difference)
- water + electric (either across the road in the south lot or in king's accommodations overlooking the fiesta field, but that's $$$$$)

There are water fill and pump out service trucks that come around for a fee. I believe that there are a few water filling locations for getting free water if you can go fetch it.

The quiet time (i.e. no generator) from 10pm to 5am.

The spots are incredibly tight. You're nuts to butts with your neighbors. And you have to squeeze your tow vehicle/toad into your spot. If you extend into the road, they'll come talk to you.

Portable generators have to be 2' off of the ground because the site is an old dump and the worry is methane may ignite. No campfires (including propane fire pits) allowed.

We went in 2017 and are going again this year. We stay for the full 2 weeks (but we're fulltimers- I work during the day while my wife and kids go play). I do recommend staying for as long as you possible can.

Tickets to the Fiesta grounds were they launch the balloons are cheapest from Costco.

If you're able bodied, sign up to help volunteer to crew and launch balloons. OR, hang out in the RV park near the landing box to help catch them. It's an amazing experience.

Here's an article I wrote:
https://www.fulltimefamilies.com/fulltime-families-at-the-albuquerque-balloon-fiesta/

And here is my 300-photo album of photos from 2017:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougsetzer/albums/72157687401476784

[eubank]

Evidently, the fiesta is making a change this year to parking and RV arrangements. It will be interesting to see what people think of it.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-balloon-fiesta/rvs-cars-to-swap-parking-areas-for-2019-balloon-fiest...

Lynn

[Tripalot]

We went a few years ago and it was an incredible experience. We decided to blow the bank roll and we signed up with Adventure Caravans. It was a fantastic experience and worth the $$$.
We had excellent camping facilities with water & electric supplied + a pump out service came through mid week. It was an 11 day experience. Breakfast and dinner were provided daily, the shuttle bus stopped amidst the RV's, many of the balloons came down in the camping area. On some days, bus tours were provided in the area to local attractions. In the evening we could sit outside the RV and watch the nightly fireworks. We were close enough that we could walk to the grounds during the day if we wished. There were some vendors to check out.

Balloon activities are early in the morning (5 am) and the evening.
If you only plan to be there 3 days and the weather is not favorable, the balloons won't go up and you are out of luck.

We were really glad we went this route despite the cost - it was well worth it for a do once experience.

[BigD629]

It was on my wife’s bucket list also. She booked it a year in advance so we stayed right on the grounds in an area called the box. Basically a big parking lot surrounding a open field. Turned out this field was one of the main landing areas for the balloons! It’s an incredible experience and I would highly recommend it.

[CarnationSailor]

Stay on-site at the dry-camping area adjacent to the entrance to the launch field. You can fill-up your water tank on-site. It's a tremendous experience! Call for reservations on the Monday after this year's fiesta closes.

[suprz]

We made plans to go once... Found out that prices were inflated and all the parks had a minimum 3 night stay rule. You don't have to stay, but you have to pay for 3 nights no matter what. We decided against it

[naturist]

Went to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in Oct 2018 and enjoyed the heck out of it. Here are our observations.

1) absolutely get your reservations as early as possible, as they do go quickly, especially for the weekends and especially for the on-site campgrounds.
2) because half the action on weekends and ALL of the action during the week happens right at dawn, get yourself booked into on-site camping so you don't have to get up at midnight and fight your way into the festival grounds. Trust me on this, there is a HUGE difference between getting up at 5 or 6 am and walking to the festival vs getting up at 3 or 4 am, driving to the festival grounds (or better, to one of the shuttle sites). Camping fees are through the roof anyway, and only $10 or so cheaper off-site.
3) be aware that on-site camping is nearly all boon docking, so be prepared to bring your own water and electric.

I think reservations open up right after the end of the festival. That is not too soon to get yours.

The sights, the sounds, and the beauty of a thousand (give or take a few hundred) balloons of all sizes, shapes, and descriptions launching or even just lighting up the grounds/sky is a sight to behold. Take a good camera with you, you are going to need it.

My bride (of now 51 years, that was our present to each other last year for 50 years of wedded bliss) and I highly recommend this event.

[Devocamper]

How far in advance are reservations suggested and or excepted by local campgrounds or the festival it self