Balloons at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico
© gmeland/Shutterstoc
The oldest way to fly. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
October means pumpkin fields, Halloween, leaf-peeping, and the World Series. But in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the beginning of October means a skyful of hot air balloons. The 50th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest gathering of balloonists in the world, with more than 500 hot air balloons going aloft this week. The now nine-day event got its start by launching 13 balloons from a shopping mall parking lot in 1972 to celebrate the birthday of a local radio station. It has easily become the biggest event of the year in Albuquerque, whose entire populace can view balloons in flight simply by stepping outside their homes and looking up.
Related Images
Humpback whales off the coast of Massachusetts
Siberian Snowkiting Cup in Novosibirsk, Russia
Kitesurfers and windsurfers near the Pelješac Peninsula, Croatia
Adelaide International Kite Festival, Australia
Sandhill cranes taking flight over the Platte River near Kearney, Nebraska
Fall foliage in Mont-Tremblant National Park, Quebec
Short-eared owl hunting at dusk in Worlaby Carrs, Lincolnshire, England
Pantropical spotted dolphins off the coast of Ixtapa, Mexico
Bing Today Images
Autumn in the Ogilvie Mountains, Yukon,Canada
Oct 02, 2024
The Ivishak River in the North Slope Borough, Alaska
Oct 02, 2021
Misty forest in fall colours, Yukon
Oct 02, 2020
