Cates
Thanks to an eccentric family birthday party, a fortuitous weather pattern known as the “Albuquerque box” and the first successful balloon piloted across the Atlantic Ocean, Albuquerque has hosted the world’s largest hot air balloon festival for more than 50 years.
The nine-day Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, held Oct. 5-13 this year, attracts more than 800,000 visitors to watch 500 piloted balloons.
In 1971, Sid Cutter celebrated his mother’s birthday and the 42nd anniversary of his family’s flying service company with an inflated balloon in the Cutter Flying Service hangar in Albuquerque. The following year, the family event grew into a 13-balloon rally, which eventually became the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Then in 1978, two Albuquerque balloon adventurers were part of the first piloted balloon trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
An economic impact report commissioned by the festival in 2022 reported that 76% of event attendees were from outside of New Mexico, and the event generated about $203 million of total economic impact for businesses in the Albuquerque metropolitan area. The report also noted that the Albuquerque Box—in which the city’s wind patterns blow in one direction near the ground and in the opposite direction at higher altitudes—offers ideal conditions for skilled pilots to bring their balloons back to near the point of takeoff by changing altitudes to ride wind currents in different directions.
NCSL caught up with Rep. Kathleen Cates (D), whose District 44 includes Balloon Fiesta Park, where the festival takes place.
What does the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta mean for your district?
I believe it is the international welcoming site for New Mexico. So many individuals come to New Mexico just for the Balloon Fiesta, we definitely attract a world-class participation.
Have you been to the event? What’s your favorite part?
I have gone 27 years in a row, and it will be 28 years in October. I like to come no later than 5:30 in the morning for the mass ascension. It’s chilly and it makes the hot chocolate or coffee taste better. You get to watch them put up the weather balloon, and as the sun starts to rise, they send up five or six balloons to see how the wind is doing. There is always a chance there won’t be a go. There is drama involved.
Then we have special (balloon) shapes like Darth Vader, Yoda, a dairy cow and a bumblebee. At night, they are not allowed to launch, so hundreds of balloons are tethered on the ground, and there’s the night glow. You can talk to pilots and crew and see how the balloons are inflated. There’s great food like the best green chili burritos and the best biscochitos, and chainsaw carving, and a NASA tent where they talk about science and the history of flight. Eventually, they deflate the balloons, and they have a laser show, fireworks and a drone show.
Have you ridden in a balloon? What was the experience like?
I have, and I’ve been on a chase crew, which are volunteers who get in a pickup truck and follow the balloon. Our community welcomes the piloting and the event, and if you need to land in somebody’s parking lot or school yard, everyone is helpful and makes sure you’ve got a clear and safe place to land. When it lands, you roll it up and put it in the back of the truck and you drink champagne. There is a whole culture to it.
What else is great about your district? What else should visitors see?
We have the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum, which has exhibitions on the history of ballooning, awesome STEAM programs and summer camps. We have a spectacular village called Corrales, which has some great stores and restaurants, a historical church and an art festival. The Rio Grande River runs through my district, so there is diversity of urban, suburban and agricultural communities.
The area is also represented by Sen. Bill O’Neill (D) in District 13.