ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It is an event that thousands look forward to every October in the Duke City, but what came to be known as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta had quite the simple start. Organizers celebrating what was known at the time as “The First Annual KOB Radio and Television International Balloon Festival,” in honor of the radio station’s 50th anniversary, reached out the the pilot Sid Cutter to arrange something unique for the party, and he did not disappoint.
“Sid Cutter was one of these guys that could get you excited about whatever he was excited about. And he was really excited about balloons,” said Dr. Thomas McConnell, a balloonist with the fiesta’s board of directors.
On Saturday, April 8, 1972, just over a dozen balloons gathered in Albuquerque for a launch, complete with an air race. After putting on a successful show for over 20,000 fans, interest began to grow, and community members wanted to make it an annual event.
“Let me tell you, in those early days, we made every mistake it was you could figure out to make. But we made a lot of positive things happen also. And we survived. And every time we made a mistake we learned from it,” added McConnell.
By the next year, in 1973, new balloonists, like McConnell, became part of the fun and joined the team running the fiesta, with the field of balloons growing to a total of over 120 – this time, launching from the state fairgrounds.
Throughout the 1970s, the audience and number of balloons continued to swell, as did the event’s number of days. The fiesta expanded to include the first two weekends of October and the weekdays in between. The growing pains called for a couple of venue changes along the way.
“Well you have to have a site, and it has to be several acres depending on how many balloons you have,” said McConnell. “From the humble beginnings in the open parking lot here at Coronado Center in the first year to the dirt field here on the south side of Alameda and, finally, to its current home here on the north side of Alameda in the mid-90s, where over 350 acres can accommodate the thousands of spectators.”
Over the next few decades, fiesta would host a number of gas balloon races, favorites like the Balloon Glow, starting in 1987, and the Special Shapes Rodeo a couple of years later, solidifying its status in the world of ballooning and putting Albuquerque on the international stage.
“We’ve had people inquire, ‘Would you ever think about moving the Balloon Fiesta to Phoenix?’ No. Probably not. This is New Mexico. This is Albuquerque. We’re going to stay here,” said McConnell.
After half a century of wowing audiences, young and old alike, Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta continues to find new ways to attract fans.
“And so, we talk about the magic of ballooning, and you go out there, and it’s really hard to find some adult or some kid without a grin on his face,” said McConnell. “People love that kind of thing, and it feeds itself.”
