Residents of Albuquerque and the rest of the state recently had a chance to enjoy an event that was both colorful and “uplifting”.
The city played host to the 44th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Hundreds of balloonists from more than 20 different countries took part, and their craft came in all shapes and sizes.
The nine-day festival attracted people from all over, and so many photographers came out that it is near the top of the list for most photographed events the whole world over. The pictures can later be used in such items as Calendars and other promotional items.
The fiesta kicked off with a sunrise ascension when hundreds of these aircraft took to the sky. Scott Appleman, who is the founder of the Rainbow Ryders ballooning company noted that there were 550 of them in the sky, and that it was at the pinnacle of the hot air ballooning. It also gave the public an opportunity to see for themselves how they work and learn more about the activity in general.
Along with the sunrise flight, there were flying competitions, evening balloon glows, races and “splash and dash “ flights that followed the path of the Rio Grande. While many of the craft had the shape one might expect, there were over 100 that were different. These “special shapes” ranged from cartoon characters to a Darth Vader helmet and even a giant cactus.
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