{"id":16941,"date":"2011-09-22T07:00:09","date_gmt":"2011-09-22T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=16941"},"modified":"2018-03-12T12:37:52","modified_gmt":"2018-03-12T17:37:52","slug":"albuquerque-international-balloon-fiesta-up-up-and-away-hot-air-balloon-fiesta-in-albuquerque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/albuquerque-international-balloon-fiesta-up-up-and-away-hot-air-balloon-fiesta-in-albuquerque\/","title":{"rendered":"Up, up and away: Hot air balloon fiesta in Albuquerque"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lift off: Hundreds of hot air balloons take to Albuquerque skies this October. Credit: snowpeak.<\/p><\/div>\n

By Derek Brown<\/em><\/p>\n

Alarm clocks ring extra early in New Mexico during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta<\/strong>.\u00a0The first balloons lift off at 6 a.m. for Dawn Patrol and glow a fiery orange in the early-morning desert sky. Mass Ascension takes place about one hour later — it\u2019s said to be a spectacle of color and shapes when more than 500 hot air balloons take to the sky at once.<\/p>\n

The 40th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta runs Oct. 1-9, and this year\u2019s theme is “The Greatest Show Off Earth.” The balloon show is the biggest in the world, and thousands flock to the region to take in the colorful splendor. It\u2019s not too late to plan a trip — many Albuquerque hotels<\/a> remain available.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always wanted to attend, and will one day.\u00a0Based upon my hot air ballooning experience, this has to be an amazing 9 days of inspiration both on the ground and in the air.<\/p>\n

Related resources<\/strong><\/p>\n