05/02/22 - 05/02/23 2022 BFA Online Safety Seminar Video - - - Education 09/09/22 - 09/10/22 Paris Balloon and Music Festival Lamar County Fairgrounds Paris Texas Balloon Festivals 09/09/22 - 09/11/22 27th Annual Arkansas Hot Air Balloon Championship Anstaff Soccer Complex Harrison AK Balloon Festivals, Competition Event 09/09/22, 05:00 - 09/11/22 Great Reno Balloon Race Rancho San Rafeal Park Reno NV Balloon Festivals 09/09/22, 17:00 - 09/11/22, 12:00 Jupiter Flight Balloon Festival Conner Prairie Museum Fishers IN Balloon Festivals 09/16/22 - 09/18/22 Balloons Over Bay Harbor Bay Harbor Village Bay Harbor Michigan Balloon Festivals 09/17/22 - 09/18/22 Gaithersburg Hot Air Balloon Fesitval Montgomery County Ag Center Gaithersburg Maryland Balloon Festivals 09/23/22 - 09/24/22 Champaign County Balloon Festival Dodds Park Champaign IL Balloon Festivals 10/01/22 - 10/09/22 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park Albuquerque New Mexico Education, Balloon Festivals, Youth 10/02/22, 11:00 Annual General Meeting Sid Cutter Pavillion Albuquerque New Mexico Balloon Festivals 10/14/22 - 10/16/22 Natchez Balloon Festival Rosalie Bicentennial Gardens Natchez Mississippi Competition Event 10/14/22, 02:00 - 10/16/22, 10:00 The Lehigh Valley Spooktacular Slatington Airport Slatington Pennsylvania Balloon Festivals 10/15/22, 03:00 - 10/16/22, 10:00 Prince William Hot Air Balloon Festival Prince William County Fairgrounds Manassas Virginia Balloon Festivals 11/12/22, 07:00 - 11/13/22 Ground School & Safety Seminar The Reference Library Phoenix AZ Education 11/18/22 - 11/20/22 Hot Air Balloon Fest Cathedral City & Rancho Mirage Cathedreal City CA Balloon Festivals 02/03/23 - 02/05/23 12th Annual Arizona Balloon Classic Goodyear Ballpark Goodyear Arizona Balloon Festivals 06/12/23 - 06/18/23 2023 BFA U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship - - - Competition Event 06/16/23 - 06/18/23 Great Texas Balloon Race - YOUNG GUNS CHAMPIONSHIP - - - Competition Event 10/07/23 - 10/15/23 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park Albuquerque New Mexico Balloon Festivals Show
123Days18Hours12Minutes03SecondsAlbuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®October 7 - 152023For updated ticket and event information please sign up for our newsletter below.We look forward to welcoming you to Albuquerque and to the Balloon Fiesta! For 9 DaysIn October the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® creates an enchanted world of special shape Read More Get HereTransportation services to the park include convenient Fiesta Express Park & Ride Service and Bike Valet. Balloon Fiesta® public parking sites are also available, and guests are encouraged to purchase advance admission tickets to avoid lines at the gates. Read More Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Sport Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Sport Traversing the skies in a hot air balloon is enjoyable pretty much any time of year, but enthusiasts know that September is the real sweet spot. Summer heat gives way to cooler breezes (preferable when you’re standing next to literal fire). Skies are clear, evenings are crisp, and rain is rare. You may even see some leaves turning fresh hues of orange and yellow as you float above in your gondola. So it follows that September holds the vast majority of hot air balloon festivals around the country. No two are alike: some double as county fairs with rides and copious foods on sticks, others memorialize local history. Behold the best balloon fests in the US: bring a blanket and leave the drones at home (seriously, they’ll take them away). Queechee Balloon FestivalQueechee, Vermont Great Reno Balloon RaceReno, Nevada Photo Courtesy of Travel South Dakota Photo Courtesy of Travel South Dakota Stratobowl Historic Hot Air Balloon LaunchRapid City, South Dakota Snowmass Balloon FestivalSnowmass Village, Colorado Paris Balloon & Music FestivalParis, Texas Balloons over Bay HarborBay Harbor, Michigan The Great Forest Park Balloon RaceSt. Louis, Missouri CEW/Shutterstock CEW/Shutterstock Lancaster Hot Air Balloon FestivalBird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania Autumn AloftPark City, Utah Ravenna Balloon-A-FairRavenna, Ohio Adirondack Balloon FestivalQueensbury, New York Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Sport Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Sport Albuquerque International Balloon FiestaAlbuquerque, New Mexico The Balloon Glow TourVarious Locations Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat! Vanita Salisbury is Thrillist’s Senior Travel Writer. Pro-tip if you go hot air ballooning (which she learned the hard way): make sure your phone case comes with a wrist strap. Where is the best hot air balloon festival in the United States?1. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta | Albuquerque, NM. Drawing over 900,000 visitors and 600 pilots from seven countries over a nine day period, this is the largest and longest running balloon festival in the country.
Is Albuquerque Balloon Festival 2022 Cancelled?Days of persistent rain, instability, and shifting weather patterns mean the 2022 America's Challenge distance race for gas balloons will not start this year.
What are the dates for the 2023 Albuquerque Balloon Festival?OCTOBER 7-15, 2023.
What US city hosts one of the world's largest hot air balloon festivals?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.
|