If you like helium, balloons, balloon ride or anything in between, you will surely get a blast from over 750 present at the biggest balloon festival in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Apart from being the largest event involving balloons, the Albuquerque festival is considered one of the most photographed in the world.

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The story started in 1972, as part of the celebration for the 50th anniversary of KOB Radio. The first ever festival gathered 13 balloons and 20,000 spectators. The next year in February, the first World Hot-Air Balloon Championship was hosted in the same location. The festival grew each year to the extent that it became the largest balloon festival in the world. The record was reached in 2000, when 1,019 balloons took part in the parade.

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Originally thought of as a competition, the event has now an emphasis on fun and good times. The Balloon Festival features several competitions, such as the Fiesta Challenge, where the people in the balloon attempt to drop a marker closest to a target or a gas-balloon race. Special events include local artists including balloons in their creations or the Mass Ascension, where the sky is filled with thousands of balloons at once. All the balloons take off from Balloon Fiesta Park, a 78 acre launch site where all the spectators gather.

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The Dawn Patrol is part of the evening show, when special balloons light the night. The pilots create a choreographed show with glowing balloons lit by fire launched into the dark sky. The beautiful climate represented by clear blue skies and calm winds make it possible for the balloons to drift on currents, without any steering. So if you’ll be around New Mexico in the October, be sure to make some time and visit the largest balloon festival in the world.

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