The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta saw increased attendance for a third straight year.
The fiesta had more than 811,000 visitors, nearly 50,000 more than last year’s event, said Kathie Leyendecker, a balloon fiesta spokeswoman. She said sunny weather factored into the spike in attendance.
“The weather was incredibly warm this year,” Leyendecker said. “It felt like the great fall weather that makes October in New Mexico (made for) perfect weather for balloonists.”
In 2009, the fiesta sold almost 762,000 tickets, compared to more than 702,000 in 2008. The 899,000 attendance record was set in 2007.
“Last year we had weather-related issues,” Leyendecker said. “We were rained out and blown out.”
This time around, weather did not interrupt events, with the exception of a lightning storm, which affected a balloon glow on the first Saturday of the event.
Increased attendance, however, caused other issues.
Anna Mays went to an early-morning mass ascension and an evening balloon glow with her husband and two kids this year. She said it was difficult to find parking.
“We drove last year, and the parking was horrible,” she said. “We decided to take the Park & Ride from Rio Rancho, but were turned away because there were too many people, so we still had to drive.”
At peak time, others using Park & Ride said they waited for more than an hour until they got back to their cars.
Fiesta officials said the Park & Ride program saw a 15 percent increase from last year.
Mays said she hopes fiesta officials take that into consideration when planning for next year’s event.
Despite economic woes, Leyendecker said, balloonists and enthusiasts showed up and supported the event, but fewer balloonists participated. Only about 500 balloons were present at this year’s event.
“A few years ago, we limited balloon registration to 650 because of landing space,” Leyendecker said. “Last year we were close to matching that total with more than 620.”
In anticipation of its 40th anniversary, the 2011 balloon fiesta is billed, “The Greatest Show Off Earth.”
Leyendecker said officials are adding other events to recapture the balloon fiesta’s history.
“October in New Mexico is the best time of the year for balloonists, and our event is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said. “Balloonists are a tight-knit community and they look at this event as family reunion.”
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