The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta kicks off Saturday with a mass ascension at Balloon Fiesta Park. Fiesta attendees can walk among the inflating balloons and talk to pilots while scarfing down breakfast burritos and sipping piñon coffee. FILE - Cecilia Zike, 5, and Gianna Zike, 8, watch as a Rainbow Ryders' hot air balloon takes flight with the American flag during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta's Special Shape Rodeo and balloon launch at Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, N.M., Oct. 10, 2024. Here’s a by-the-numbers look:53Years the balloon fiesta has been held, having grown from a modest launch of 13 balloons in 1972 at a shopping mall parking lot. 5,073The elevation at Balloon Fiesta Park, in feet.