One of the tragedies of growing older is that we stop seeing magic in the world around us the way we used to as children. Back then it was effortless. On windy autumn days, for example, I would make a game out of dodging colorful falling leaves, imaging them to be missiles that would blow me up on contact. Putting that potentially concerning memory aside, the point is that we have to be intentional about finding magic as adults. It’s still there. I experienced a magical moment in New Mexico when I stood on a field surrounded by hundreds of hot air balloons as they lifted off during a mass ascension. It was extraordinary.
I wasn’t even supposed to be there. I was driving through New Mexico when my uncle texted me that he was on his way to the state for a balloon festival and invited me to join him. I made a u-turn in Roswell—after first making contact with a fast-food loving alien—and met up with him in Albuquerque. We got up at 3:30 a.m. the next morning to be at the gates at 4 a.m. for the launch that didn’t even start until 7 a.m. And we weren’t the only ones. Thousands of people showed up to watch. I met several locals who enthusiastically told me that they never missed a year. The official tally for the nine-day event registered an astonishing 828,800 visitors!
The international Balloon Fiesta celebrated its 50th anniversary that week. What started in 1972 with just 13 hot air balloons grew into the largest festival in the world! Albuquerque eventually built an incredible 360-acre park specifically for the annual event. The expansive park is open for public use the rest of the year so the space doesn’t go to waste. Vendors selling refreshments and souvenirs surrounded the 80-acre grassy launch field where I stood.
“Mass ascension” refers to the launch of all the hot air balloons that participated in the festival. More than 500 balloons lifted off that morning over the course of two hours. Dozens of launch directors—known as “zebras” because of their black and white striped shirts—helped the balloons take off safely. The zebras ensured that the airspace over the balloons was clear since the pilots could not see what was happening above them.
So what was it like? Words don’t fully capture the experience. Neither do pictures but at least those are fun to look at! At first there was quite a bit of tension as it seemed that the weather would not cooperate. But then a green flag suddenly went up in the back signaling the all clear, the crowd went nuts, and balloons started inflating everywhere one after the other. At first I only heard burners igniting in the distance. One somewhere to my left. Another somewhere behind me. Closer and closer until suddenly I saw and felt the intense fire close by. It was spellbinding, mesmerizing, and just remarkable.
There was more excitement once the balloons inflated as passengers filled the gondolas and we waited for them to float away. Every time that happened, the surrounding crowds—myself included—burst into applause and cheers. I enthusiastically waved at the strangers going up, partly envying them while also remembering my fear of heights. Of course I still would have gone up if given the chance; I once jumped out of an airplane in Hawaii! But a one-hour balloon ride that day cost ~$595, an expense I had not budged for on my trip. And the tickets were sold out.
The fun thing about hot air balloons is that they move slowly. Once they were high enough, they appeared to be suspended in the air. That was my favorite part. When I did a Hollywood-inspired 360° spin, big smile on my face, watching hundreds of hot air balloons fixed against the expansive blue sky.
The other fun thing about hot air balloons is that they eventually have to come down and the balloons we saw land did not alight gracefully. Despite the pilots’ best efforts, most landings ended with the basket tipped completely on its side until the chasers and ground crew pulled it upright again. Suddenly I didn’t care to be in the gondola.
Balloon Fiesta is the kind of event that is worth experiencing in person—add it to your bucket list! What made it spectacular was the sensory overload I experienced which is what I can’t fully describe for you here. I was overwhelmed by the brightly colored balloons that towered over me; the roaring sound and heat coming from the igniters; the excited buzz from the massive crowd; and the sheer wonder of watching such large and clumsy objects floating gracefully up from the ground as if by…well, you get the point.
