Top Ten Tips for Guests

TOP TEN TIPS

For Guests

BY TOM MCCONNELL MD, FOR THE BALLOON FIESTA HERITAGE COMMITTEE

When the fi rst hot-air balloons were being developed and then fl own in France in 1783, the fi rst spectators ranged from wealthy and infl uential nobles and visitors-to-court to farmers, tradespeople, millers, laborers and their families. No one knew what to expect and there were no guides or “tips” to help them understand the process. There were no cameras, so artists drew or painted what they thought they saw. The events became carnival-like.”

As hot-air and gas ballooning became more and more popular in later centuries, pilots, crews, and spectators brought with them higher expectations regarding safety, comfort from the weather, and amenities such as food and toiletry. After the modern hot-air balloon was created in the 1960s, and more balloons were being purchased and fl own, those expectations blossomed further.

In April 1972, 20,000 well-behaved and awestruck spectators descended on a vacant lot in northeast Albuquerque, overwhelming the people in charge of traffi c and crowd control. Most of these folks had never seen a balloon and had no idea how to behave around one. So, for the 1973 World Hot-Air Balloon Championships the next February, Sid Cutter wrote “25 Tips for Spectators” for the program, fi lled with practical safety tips and helpful suggestions. Check out Sid’s original 25 tips on page 54, delivered in a typical-of-Sid combination of tongue-in-cheek and real necessity.

Many things have not changed in Albuquerque since 1973, but with up to 80,000 people on the launch fi eld at one time for mass ascensions, here are the ten most important spectator tips for 2021:

1. HAVE FUN. Plan to bring your kids so they can have fun too. 2. GET UP EARLY. The traffi c is intense, especially on weekends and on Sunday, Thursday and

Friday evenings. Not as bad on weekdays. 3. WEAR LAYERS of clothing for cold early mornings and warmer times later on. 4. WEAR STURDY SHOES. Flipfl ops won’t cut it. Hiking boots are better. 5. DON’T GET LOST. Tag your kids.

Or take advantage of the State

Police “Tag Your Tots” program.

Remember where you parked, or got off the bus, or left your bike. 6. KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER.

Sometimes the radio or TV weather forecasters predict tomorrow’s weather correctly, and sometimes they don’t. They often take a stab at whether the balloons will fl y or not a day or half-day ahead of time. In reality,

AIBF can predict what the show will be only a few minutes in advance. All ballooning is weatherdependent. 7. BRING YOUR CAMERA. Use a camera that has at least 10 megapixels (whatever a megapixel is). Take lots of photos.

8. WALK AMONG THE BALLOONS

and say hello to everyone. Talk to the pilots and crews. Smile. Find out what other events or activities are happening. See number 1.

9. BRING MONEY to buy breakfast burritos, funnel cakes, programs, pins, shirts, hats and other overpriced stuff. 10. CALL OR TEXT YOUR FRIENDS, tell them what a great time you’re having, and that they must come to Albuquerque next year for the 50th.

And, after taking advantage of all these time-tested tips, you can help by GIVING US FEEDBACK about what was great and what we could do better next year.

To expand on the above, let’s start with HAVE FUN. After producing three very successful Balloon Fiestas (1972, 1973 and 1974) [but very unsuccessful fi nancially], Sid Cutter asked his good friend Bob Ruppenthal for help in 1975 and to be Balloonmeister for the 1976 Fiesta. After having competitive events with small numbers of prizes, some small and some expensive, Sid and Bob thought it was time to de-emphasize the prizes and create events that were fun for pilots, crews and spectators. In 1976, the theme became “The Person Who Has the Most Fun Wins.” It is not clear who invented the phrase, but both claimed it.

GET UP EARLY. On weekends, leave your hotel, B and B, motel, house, tent, no later than 5 a.m, preferably earlier. For evening events, probably best to be on the fi eld by 5:30 p.m. The pilots’ evening briefi ng is usually at 5:30 p.m., for infl ations at dusk, about 6:30. Main Street ‘vendors are open during all the sessions, morning or evening.

First-timers generally do not realize that the Balloon Fiesta is staged on a 365-acre piece of land in northeast Albuquerque that, from the standpoint of streets and roads and intersections and parking lots, was never intended to gather 80,000 people (15,000 vehicles) at one time in the dark. You must come early and be patient. Or, better yet, use our Park & Ride: in addition to round-trip transportation, you get to ride on an expedited route and bypass the worst traffi c, and get admission to Balloon Fiesta. And pack your car full of people (no dogs) so we can better manage fewer cars. Many balloon pilots are on the roads toward Balloon Fiesta Park by 4:30 in the morning on weekends, or by 5 a.m. weekdays.

Although it can be downright chilly in the early October morning, it almost always warms up by 9 or 10 o’clock. Some folks go from too cold to too warm.

DRESS ACCORDINGLY. Flipfl ops or high heels simply are not appropriate for the launch fi eld, and if you are somewhere on the mesa looking on, or you actually chase the balloon of your choice, you will fi nd sturdy SHOES or hiking boots work better. When you walk back to your vehicle in an unpaved parking lot, or to the bus, you may fi nd a cactus or two in your way. Like our Roadrunners, cacti are native to New Mexico. After driving to Balloon Fiesta Park in the dark, and after you disembark from your vehicle, “Where did I leave my car?” is an oft-heard question. Usually that happens as the sun comes up or even later, long after you have forgotten where you parked. Memorize where you left your vehicle. And be sure to pin a note on your kids with their names, your names and your cell-phone number in case they get lost. We have a great lost-and-found, but

or to the bus, you may fi nd a cactus car?” is an oft-heard question. Usually that happens as the sun comes up or even later, long after you have forgotten where you parked. Memorize where you left your vehicle. And be sure to pin a note on your kids with their names, your names and your cell-phone number in case they get lost. We have a great lost-and-found, but

sometimes the kids don’t know who they are. Not your kids, of course... Have a plan to meet somewhere to reconnect if someone in your party does get lost. AIBF Security, Offi cials, Navigators, cops, sponsors, vendors -- everyone will help.

WEATHER. We attempt ballooning activities for ten days. On Friday morning before the offi cial fi rst-Saturday-in-October opening, balloons launch from schools around Albuquerque, Los Ranchos and Rio Rancho, and then there are 14 sessions over nine days at Balloon Fiesta Park. All are weatherdependent. If the surface winds at Balloon Fiesta Park are more than about 12 mph, or the winds at 300 or 400 feet above ground level are judged to be too strong, or if it’s raining or snowing or foggy, we go “ON HOLD” in hopes the weather will improve. If it doesn’t, we may have to cancel the launch or go to “tether only” where the balloons can infl ate, but must stay on the ground. Like so many places in the USA, New Mexico subscribes to the notion “if you don’t like the weather here, wait 10 minutes and it’ll change.”

For the most photographed event in the world, you must bring a good CAMERA, and maybe some extra batteries and memory cards. In the old days, we used to say “bring plenty of fi lm.” Some of today’s smart phones have excellent cameras.

WALK AROUND. Rainbow Ryders, the Balloon Fiesta’s offi cial ride concessionaire, is the only company authorized to sell rides at Balloon Fiesta. They generally have larger baskets, and are usually located just north of mid-fi eld. Walk over there and watch their operation. See our Gondola Club and Chaser’s Club and ask how you can enjoy a VIP experience at Balloon Fiesta. Check out the Chainsaw Carving Contest, the Artisan Tent, and performances on our Main Stage. Gawk at the airplane fl yovers, the parachutists, fi reworks after dark, balloon manufacturer booths, model balloons, kites (on windy days), our excellent portapotties. Ask when the gas balloons will infl ate and fl y

-- this is the prestigious America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race, usually launching during the fi rst weekend. See the Mass Ascensions (weekends and Wednesday), Dawn Patrol (very early mornings), Balloon Glows (Saturday, Sunday, Thursday, Friday, last Saturday), Special Shape Rodeos (Thursday and Friday mornings and evenings), International Pilot Day (Wednesday), and occasional balloon tethers.

BRING MONEY. Cash or debit or credit cards (probably not bitcoin or checks) will do. Buy coffee, breakfast burritos and funnel cakes for starters, then turn your attention to programs, souvenirs, jackets, shirts, hats, pins, patches or anything else that strikes your fancy. Our great concessionaires have a wide variety of stuff to sell. Will you fi nd bargains? Good luck. This is, after all, the “Carnival in the Sky” you have heard and read so much about. This is the way AIBF (at least partly) makes the money to put on the show next year.

COMMUNICATE

to your friends and relatives or your boss or your coworkers what a marvelous experience Balloon Fiesta is, how varied, how friendly, the color and sounds and smells, the great time you are having or have had. Send them a photo - even a selfi e next to a balloon. Send them a program. Visit an Indian Pueblo. Encourage them to come to Albuquerque in October.

GIVE US FEEDBACK. Offi cials at AIBF know how bad the traffi c can get. So do the NM State Police, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho Police Departments and all the folks who have enjoyed Balloon Fiesta in years past. We have been working on this problem for years, and we still do not have all the problems overcome. We have made gains over the years. We need your feedback on this or any other issue you may encounter. Let us know your problems, possible solutions, and even compliments. We are listening.

The people who come back year after year have many other helpful hints to share. Experience counts. Listen to the old-timers, and you too will become an old-timer.