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The Albuquerque Balloon Festival

Every autumn, the sky above the desert city of Albuquerque in the south-western United States turns into a mass of bright colours. This is the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, an annual nine-day event. The first festival was held in 1972 to celebrate the 50th birthday of the local radio station. There were about a dozen hot-air balloons and they took off from the car park in the middle of Albuquerque. From these small beginnings, the festival has grown steadily. This year at least a thousand balloons from over one third of the countries of the world are expected at its current out-of-town site.

The Albuquerque Balloon Festival lasts over a week.

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The Albuquerque Balloon Festival

Every autumn, the sky above the desert city of Albuquerque in the south-western United States turns into a mass of bright colours. This is the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, an annual nine-day event. The first festival was held in 1972 to celebrate the 50th birthday of the local radio station. There were about a dozen hot-air balloons and they took off from the car park in the middle of Albuquerque. From these small beginnings, the festival has grown steadily. This year at least a thousand balloons from over one third of the countries of the world are expected at its current out-of-town site.

The first festival took place at the opening of the local radio station.

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What to see

The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the burners of their balloons at the same time. These are known as 'balloon glows' and are an opportunity to take fantastic photographs. However, you must arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am to see these 'glows' as the balloons rise into the dark sky. During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to the pilots as they prepare for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and colours, some in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters - and, of course, well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and fast food. Kids will love it. In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon flight over the desert with one of the many companies offering balloon rides? Another possibility is to take the cable car from the desert floor to the top of the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere, and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all ages, including balloon races and firework displays on the opening evening and the last three evenings of the festival.

The pilots use hand signals to communicate with each other.

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What to see

The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the burners of their balloons at the same time. These are known as 'balloon glows' and are an opportunity to take fantastic photographs. However, you must arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am to see these 'glows' as the balloons rise into the dark sky. During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to the pilots as they prepare for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and colours, some in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters - and, of course, well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and fast food. Kids will love it. In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon flight over the desert with one of the many companies offering balloon rides? Another possibility is to take the cable car from the desert floor to the top of the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere, and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all ages, including balloon races and firework displays on the opening evening and the last three evenings of the festival.

The ‘balloon glow’ happens before sunrise and after sunset.

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What to see

The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the burners of their balloons at the same time. These are known as 'balloon glows' and are an opportunity to take fantastic photographs. However, you must arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am to see these 'glows' as the balloons rise into the dark sky. During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to the pilots as they prepare for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and colours, some in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters - and, of course, well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and fast food. Kids will love it. In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon flight over the desert with one of the many companies offering balloon rides? Another possibility is to take the cable car from the desert floor to the top of the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere, and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all ages, including balloon races and firework displays on the opening evening and the last three evenings of the festival.

Members of the public are forbidden to enter the balloon take-off area.

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What to see

The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the burners of their balloons at the same time. These are known as 'balloon glows' and are an opportunity to take fantastic photographs. However, you must arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am to see these 'glows' as the balloons rise into the dark sky. During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to the pilots as they prepare for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and colours, some in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters - and, of course, well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and fast food. Kids will love it. In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon flight over the desert with one of the many companies offering balloon rides? Another possibility is to take the cable car from the desert floor to the top of the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere, and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all ages, including balloon races and firework displays on the opening evening and the last three evenings of the festival.

Some advertising balloons join in the festival.

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What to see

The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the burners of their balloons at the same time. These are known as 'balloon glows' and are an opportunity to take fantastic photographs. However, you must arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am to see these 'glows' as the balloons rise into the dark sky. During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to the pilots as they prepare for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and colours, some in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters - and, of course, well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and fast food. Kids will love it. In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon flight over the desert with one of the many companies offering balloon rides? Another possibility is to take the cable car from the desert floor to the top of the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere, and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all ages, including balloon races and firework displays on the opening evening and the last three evenings of the festival.

You can take a balloon ride to the top of the nearby mountains.

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What to see

The pilots are in radio contact with each other and all light up the burners of their balloons at the same time. These are known as 'balloon glows' and are an opportunity to take fantastic photographs. However, you must arrive just after night has fallen or before 5.30 am to see these 'glows' as the balloons rise into the dark sky. During the day, you can walk around among the balloons and chat to the pilots as they prepare for take-off. The balloons come in all sizes and colours, some in the shapes of animals or cartoon characters - and, of course, well-known products such as varieties of soft drinks and fast food. Kids will love it. In the afternoon, why not take to the sky yourself by arranging a balloon flight over the desert with one of the many companies offering balloon rides? Another possibility is to take the cable car from the desert floor to the top of the nearby mountains, the longest such ride anywhere, and enjoy a bird's-eye view of the festival. There are plenty of other attractions for visitors of all ages, including balloon races and firework displays on the opening evening and the last three evenings of the festival.

You can watch a firework show every evening of the festival.

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The Albuquerque Box

This is a local wind pattern that creates perfect conditions for balloonists. The Sandia Mountains protect the balloons from strong winds, and at the same time create gentler currents of wind at different heights. This means that by rising or descending, skilful pilots can control the direction of their balloons.

The geography of the area around Albuquerque makes it particularly suitable for ballooning.

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Practical advice

Buy your tickets in advance (they are available online) and save yourself a long wait to get into the festival site. Wear several layers of thin clothing. At night and in the early morning it can be quite cool, but during the day sunglasses and suncream are essential. Bring a flashlight for night-time events and, of course, bring your camera. If you're not a digital photographer, you'll need high-speed film for evening and night-time pictures.

Visitors should be prepared for a range of temperatures.