Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Few spectacles are more memorable than the sight of 500 multicoloured hot air balloons rising from a grassy launch site the size of 56 football fields. You can observe this mass ascension daily during Albuquerque, New Mexico’s International Balloon Fiesta, held for nine days every October. It’s no wonder that last year’s event attracted more than 828,000 spectators. But the festival offers much more than balloons floating slowly up and away. The 2023 fiesta (the 51st ) features hot air balloon competitions, drone light shows choreographed to music, skydiving, concerts and twilight balloon glows (when pilots illuminate tethered inflated balloons with propane burners). Each day ends with impressive fireworks. You can even book a flight. As crew members unfurl the 25-metre-long envelope and use a fan to inflate it with hot air from a propane burner, vivid splashes of ripstop nylon billow out like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Within minutes, the balloon is straining at its ropes to lift off. You scramble into the gondola with the pilot and other passengers. With a whoosh of the propane burner, you’re travelling with the wind, waving to pilots in other airborne balloons. It’s an unforgettable experience. balloonfiesta.com IT’S PARTY TIME! Excite your senses with the sights, sounds, colours, scents and tastes of international special events. Dazzling fireworks. Glittering costumes. Crowdpleasing spectacles. There’s nothing like a festival to introduce you to the pulse and personality of a destination. Ranging from obscure to world-renowned, no two festivals are alike. You’ll find festivals for every interest and season around the world and in your own vicinity. Here are some of our favourites: Story and photos © Barb & Ron Kroll 14 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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