Imagine floating quietly above vineyards, rivers and beautiful valleys. Our hot air balloon watch can take you to those special places.

The Ballon Fiesta, Albuquerque, NM

October of each year is the International Balloon Fiesta in conjunction with the Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival. It’s a magical event when 100-200 hot air balloons simultaneously ascend in the early morning hours. People line the interstate and all the roads from the mountains waiting to see the mass ascension (take-off.) The fiesta is held in Albuquerque, NM each year because of the infamous “Albuquerque box”. The Albuquerque Box is a weather phenomenon where the lowest winds are moving in one direction and the higher level winds are moving in another. This is beneficial to ballooning because then the balloon can take off and land in almost exactly the same spot.

The colorful balloons hovering over the mountains are paua abalone inlaid in a blue Mother of Pearl tinted sky.

In the Spanish language, "Celeste" means sky blue.