Video of the Week: Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

by Sheila on September 18, 2008

by Sheila | September 18th, 2008

It’s almost time for that amazing annual event in the desert, the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico October 4-12 2008.

I went to Fiesta last year, and it was simply incredible. Do get the family there before sunrise at least one day, to see the flames lighting up all of the brightly-colored balloons.  Later that day, do NOT miss seeing special performances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center there in Albuquerque; they always have lots of activities during Fiesta that are kid-friendly.

Here’s a short video by Edwin Villanueva from the Viddler site (Viddler is another site like YouTube for sharing videos.) I thought he did a nice job of showing the variety of balloons, and how many there are.

Check the Balloon Fiesta video page for even more.

{ 9 comments }

jamie September 18, 2008 at 11:42 am
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This place is on my festival shortlist! Right behind the storytelling festival in Tennessee.

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Joe Nathan September 20, 2008 at 5:38 am
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Hi!
Are you interested in getting a template/ banner/ header/ logo/ business cards/ mascot designs for your site for no money, in return we require text links from your site http://www.familytravellogue.com. Approaching you through this form since there was no email address. Please get back to me if you are interested.

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Verysupercool Sue September 20, 2008 at 11:04 am
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Looks like fun, but I crashed in a hot air balloon once, so I’m not anxious to go up again. Seriously! It was 1978 in Houston, luckily we were fairly close to the ground at the time. The landing was botched, and the wind threw us down hard. We were dragged along the ground for quite a while. The pilot had a broken foot when was all over, I was pretty bloody, but what an adrenaline rush! I’ll have to tell you the whole story sometime.

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Sheila September 20, 2008 at 9:34 pm
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Well, that’s certainly, um, motivating me to hop into a balloon. :)

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Sheila September 22, 2008 at 8:43 am
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@Jamie - you should go, it is great!

@Joe - my email is on my About page. Thanks for the offer, but BootsnAll and my local shop cover my graphics requirements.

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Edwin October 2, 2008 at 5:59 pm
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I would highly recommend going for those that have not gone before. I was planning on going back this year but something came up at the last minute.

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Sheila October 2, 2008 at 8:11 pm
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Hi Edwin,

Since you’re the guy who shot the video, it’s wonderful to see you here! Thanks for visiting.

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Ian McKee October 8, 2008 at 7:15 am
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Wow looks great! I work for the New Mexico Tourist Board in the UK but have never been - colleagues have been up in the balloons though and apparently it really is one of the best places in the world to do it.

If you go to http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/New-Mexico/71496410164?ref=ts you can become a fan of New Mexico. We set up and event for the Fiesta too.

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Linda Richichi June 26, 2009 at 12:09 pm
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I am hooked on your blog. Thanks for sharing the images and your insight about the places you have visited. I was thinking of this place recently, now I want to visit again.

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