The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is an annual air balloon festival that took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during early October. The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event from October 6 to October 14, and has over 500 hot air balloons each year. This event is the biggest balloon festival in the world.
Video Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
History
The Balloon Fiesta began in 1972 as the peak of the 50th anniversary celebration for 770 KOB Radio. Radio station manager Dick McKee asked Sid Cutter, owner of Cutter Flying Service and the first person to have hot air balloons in New Mexico, if KOB can use its hot air balloon as part of the celebration. The two begin to discuss balloons, along with conversations and help from Oscar Kratz, and McKee asks what is the largest collection of hot air balloons to date. 19 balloons in England, Cutter replied. Kratz asked, "Can we get here?" Cutter agrees to try. He gets commitments from 21 pilots, but bad weather keeps some of them coming in time. The first party ended as a meeting of 13 balloons on 8 April 1972, sponsored by KOB. The first event was located in the parking lot of Coronado Center Shopping Mall with 20,000 viewers and with balloons from Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Texas taking part. McKee, Cutter, and Kratz are the three people who originally started the balloon race. The first festival includes "Roadrunner-Coyote Balloon Race" (a "rabbit and dog race" elsewhere in the world) with 1 balloon being "Roadrunner" and the other is a "Coyote" balloon (balloon "Roadrunner" is actually decorated with the similarity of Warner characters Brooch.). The winner of the race - "Coyote" which landed closest to Roadrunner - was Don Piccard of the leading aerostation dynasty, flew the design balloons and construction of his company (his wife was also placed in the race). The race continues as part of the Balloon Fiesta today.
The following year Albuquerque held its first World Heat Balloon Championship in February and the party became an international event. In 1975 Albuquerque was looking to host the World Championships again, but the event was scheduled for October. So the party was moved according to the championship. To maintain interest in Albuquerque's efforts to host the championship, a balloon rally was held in February of that year. Autumn became a much better flying time than February, this event remains in early October to this day.
The Balloon Fiesta grows every year for decades, and today is the world's largest balloon convention. The number of registered balloons reached a peak of 1,019 in 2000, prompting the Balloon Fiesta Board to limit the amount to 750 starting in 2001, citing the desire for "quality over quantity". The limit was changed to 600 in 2009 - citing recent growth in the city and loss of landing zones. On certain days during the festival, up to 100,000 viewers may be on the launch pad where they are given a rare opportunity to observe inflation and take the procedure. Countless more people gathered at landing sites across the city to watch the balloons coming.
Maps Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Events
Dawn Patrol
The Dawn Patrol began at the Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when two California balloons developed a positioning lighting system that allowed them to fly at night. Dawn pilot Patrol took off before sunrise and flew until light enough to see the landing site. Fellow balloons appreciate Dawn Patrol because they can watch balloons and get initial ideas about wind speed and direction at different heights.
Mass Ascensions
One of the biggest events of the fiesta, in which all participating balloons are launched in two waves, fills the sky with hundreds of balloons at once. The launch of the directors, also known as "zebra" because of their black-and-striped outfits, serves as a "traffic cop," coordinating the launch so the balloons leave the field in a safe and coordinated way.
Artistic Vision
Many local artists use balloons as a favorite subject for their paintings. Balloons often land in the Albuquerque neighborhood. Many residents are watching balloons from the comfort of their backyards.
Rodeo Custom Shapes
Many unique non-traditional balloons are launched at the same time. Some of the most famous forms include dairy cows, coach carts, twin bees, and many others such as cans and pop soda animals. This is the most popular part of this event because families can see how balloons can have different shapes and sizes.
Shining Balloons
A large number of balloons are illuminated at night by their propane burners. They stand static and do not take off during these events. The "Glowdeo" is the night light for a special shape balloon.
Special Events and Competitions
Events such as:
- Fiesta Challenge, a game in which the balloon tries to drop the marker closest to the target.
- America's Challenge Gas Balloon Competition, where a special long-range gas balloon is inflated and then launched. The winner of the race is the balloon that goes the farthest. Some balloons in the race have gone as far as Canada and the U.S. East Coast.
- The Increase of the Nation's Flight, where balloons from each country launch, one by one, to their national anthem and wave their country flags.
- Test competitions, skills, and other speeds.
Local impact
The convention has also been a major cultural and historical exhibition of New Mexico and features many cultural exhibitions. Festa is one of the largest tourist attractions in Albuquerque and is a major source of revenue for local cities and businesses. In 2015, the fiesta recorded 955,703 visitors. Usually, tourists and festival visitors take thousands of balloon pictures, so it is not surprising that for several years the party was sponsored by Kodak and was given the title, Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, although the title was usually only used in print ads and official memorabilia. In 2018, the party is presented by Canon, Japanese cameras and imaging companies.
Albuquerque Box
The success of the Fiesta partly depends on the cool Christmas morning temperatures of Albuquerque in October and the box Albuquerque . "Box" is a set of predictable wind patterns that can be exploited to navigate balloons. At low elevations, the wind tends northward (from the north), but at higher altitudes they tend to the south. Balloons use this wind to navigate in the vertical box: they rise slightly from the launch park, move south, go further, move north, descend, and repeat the box or land back in the launch park or close enough. During events involving targets on the ground, such as "Key Grab" (where the pilot tries to take the prize, including a set of keys for a new vehicle, from the tall pole and flexible), it is not uncommon to see the same balloon make 5 or 6 passes target, simply by using "Box" to keep going back to the field.
Location
Balloon Fiesta Park, where the balloon is launched, is located at the north end of town. In 2005, the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum opened on the grounds; focuses on the last three decades of the festival, and on the history of the balloons.
See also
- Hot air balloon festival
References
External links
- The official website of Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
- Video Tour from Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
- Albuquerque International Balloons Festival article
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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