Balloon Fiesta VIP West Lot

Balloon Fiesta 2023. We stayed in VIP West in our 38' motorhome with toad. The price of our site included admission for 2 for each day we were there.
Entrance: Signage was good but small. The entrance road was longer than we anticipated, but easy to navigate. You can unhook your toad at checkin, they give you a place to pull over if needed.
Checkin: They escort you to your site. We were glad we arrived on Wed as traffic was light, we arrived a little before noon. It was easy to get to our spot, if you arrive Thurs - Sat, it may be a little more difficult to maneuver, as site roads are narrow.
Site: We had plenty of room to open our slides and set up chairs. We were close to gates 20 & 21 so we could walk, they also provided shuttles that were easy to catch.
Our coach faced the park so we could sit in our driver seats and watch the morning Dawn Patrol and mass ascensions come right over our coach! Some even landed right in our lot!
Mornings were cool so generator use was allowed from 5am-10pm.
Mobile dumps and water were available if needed.
We had a battery issue and called a mobile tech nearby which gave us GREAT same day service. Echo Adventures.
No campfires allowed.
A few rigs left on Sat, most cleared out early on Sunday, so our departure a little after 11 was easy.
Great event and helpful staff!!

Overnight camping/tailgating at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (AIBF) is, by far, the best, most inexpensive, and most convenient way to experience it IF YOU CAN SCORE A RESERVATION. 2022 was the first time I was able to get a spot after feverishly refreshing the reservation site when they opened up for reservations months in advance. They're so hard to get that you really have to either get lucky or take what you can get. Now that I was fortunate enough to go, I have a few Pros, Cons, and things to consider:

CON: Reservations are very hard to get.
Check the official balloon fiesta website...tickets & reservations -lodging - rv information. Find out when they go on sale, make plans to sit at your computer, and hope for the best. VIP lots are dry camping, President's Compound has water and electric at a higher price. View from VIP West was incredible. Walking distance to the field. PRO: If you plan on attending with other people, you do not need to make your reservations together. As long as everyone in your group has reservations on the same dates for the same lot, as long as you arrive together, you will get assigned spaces together.

CON: EVERYTHING is dependent on the weather.
Weather conditions dictate whether or not the balloons inflate, glow, stay tethered, or ascend. In 2022, the weather during the entire balloon fiesta was generally rainy and terrible as far as the conditions that need to be met so many of the ascensions, glows, and competitions were cancelled. There is a pilot's briefing before every event which leads to either a yellow, red, or green flag. PRO: Since you're right there on the property, you don't have to get up hours in advance, continuously monitor the status, and debate on dealing with the horrendous traffic only to be met by a red flag and no balloons. If that happens, you just go back to sleep and then spend the day seeing the Albuquerque sights. PRO TIP: There are live broadcasts of the events on one of the local news channels and on the AIBF Facebook page. I found these live broadcasts the best way to get the most timely news on event status. There is also an AIBF app which was helpful but not as timely as the live broadcasts.

CON: There are no balloon glows on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday nights. Plan accordingly or manage your expectations when making a reservation.

PRO: Camping is the most economical way to balloon fiesta.
Hotel prices in Albuquerque surge and sell out during balloon fiesta season. While $100/night for dry camping might seem expensive, once you factor in the money you save on a hotel, the ability to cook most or all of your meals, the perk of 2 tickets being included in the price of your reservation, and the money you save on parking... $100/night is an absolute steal! Although delicious, you can expect to pay $10-$15 for a breakfast burrito from the vendors in the park.

PRO: There's an app for that!
As mentioned above, there is an official AIBF app with information on the schedule, balloons & pilots, booths, maps, media, FAQ, contests, photo fun, sponsors, and tickets. You can turn on notifications and set it to alert you on events you plan to attend. I found the app very useful but the most timely information on the flag status came from the live broadcasts on TV and Facebook.

ULTIMATE PRO: Witnessing a mass balloon ascension or balloon glow in person is an amazing, bucket list, must-see, jaw-dropping, wonderful thing!!! Five stars, highly recommend, can't miss. Doing in from the comfort of your own Airstream, RV, camper, tent is next level. Just manage your expectations and, if the weather doesn't cooperate, find other ways to have a great time in Albuquerque.

ODDS AND ENDS: Lot is paved and generally level, spaces are close but roomy...each space is 55' x 20'. Parking is done rally style and the staff and volunteers and very friendly and helpful. Generators are allowed with quiet hours between 10 pm and 5 am. Generators must be 2' off the ground. If you rely on solar, just remember that the weather may be cloudy. Overnight and early morning temperatures can get pretty low so be sure you have enough power and propane to heat your space. As mentioned above, reservations come with 2 tickets per reservation per day. Additional tickets can be purchased at the park. Additional vehicles are allowed if you pay for an additional pass and they fit within the space. There is a very helpful FAQ on the AIBF website.

Overnight camping/tailgating at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (AIBF) is, by far, the best, most inexpensive, and most convenient way to experience it IF YOU CAN SCORE A RESERVATION. 2022 was the first time I was able to get a spot after feverishly refreshing the reservation site when they opened up for reservations months in advance. They're so hard to get that you really have either get lucky or take what you can get. Now that I was fortunate enough to go, I have a few Pros, Cons, and things to consider:

CON: Reservations are very hard to get.
Check the official balloon fiesta website...tickets & reservations -lodging - rv information. Find out when they go on sale, make plans to sit at your computer, and hope for the best. VIP lots are dry camping, President's Compound has water and electric at a higher price. View from VIP West was incredible. Walking distance to the field. PRO: If you plan on attending with other people, you do not need to make your reservations together. As long as everyone in your group has reservations on the same date for the same lot, as long as you arrive together, you will get assigned spaces together.

CON: EVERYTHING is dependent on the weather.
Weather conditions dictate whether or not the balloons inflate, glow, stay tethered, or ascend. In 2022, the weather during the entire balloon fiesta was generally rainy and terrible as far as the conditions that need to be met so many of the ascensions, glows, and competitions were cancelled. There is a pilot's briefing before every event which leads to either a yellow, green, or red flag. PRO: Since you're right there on the property, you don't have to get up hours in advance, continuously monitor the status, and debate on deal with the traffic only to be met by a red flag and no balloons. If that happens, you just go back to sleep and then spend the day seeing the Albuquerque sights. PRO TIP: There are live broadcasts of the events on one of the local news channels and on the AIBF Facebook page. I found these live broadcasts the best way to get the most timely news on event status. There is also an AIBF app which was helpful but not as timely as the live broadcasts.

CON: There are no balloon glows on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday nights. Plan accordingly or manage your expectations when making a reservation.

PRO: Camping is the most economical way to balloon fiesta.
Hotel prices in Albuquerque surge and sell out during balloon fiesta season. While $100/night for dry camping might seem expensive, once you factor in the money you save on a hotel, the ability to cook most or all of your meals, the perk of 2 tickets being included in the price of your reservation, and the money you save on parking... $100/night is an absolute steal! Although delicious, you can expect to pay $10-$15 for a breakfast burrito from the vendors in the park.

PRO: There's an app for that!
As mentioned above, there is an official AIBF app with information on the schedule, balloons & pilots, booths, maps, media, FAQ, contests, photo fun, sponsors, and tickets. You can turn on notifications and set it to alert you on events you plan to attend. I found the app very useful but the most timely information on the flag status came from the live broadcasts on tv and Facebook.

ULTIMATE PRO: Witnessing a mass balloon ascension or balloon glow in person is an amazing, bucket list, must-see, jaw-dropping, wonderful thing!!! Five stars, highly recommend, can't miss. Doing in from the comfort of your own Airstream, RV, camper, tent is next level. Just manage your expectations and, if the weather doesn't cooperate, find other ways to have a great and wonderful time in Albuquerque.

ODDS AND ENDS: Lot is paved and generally level, spaces are close but roomy...each space is 55' x 20'. Parking is done rally style and the staff and volunteers and very friendly and helpful. Generators are allowed with quiet hours between 10 pm and 5 am. Generators must be 2' off the ground. If you rely on solar, just remember that the weather may be cloudy. Overnight and early morning temperatures can get pretty low so be sure you have enough power and propane to heat your space. As mentioned above, reservations come with 2 tickets per reservation per day. Additional tickets can be purchased at the park. Additional vehicles are allowed if you pay for an additional pass and they fit within the space. There is a very helpful FAQ on the AIBF website.

We ended our time at Fiesta by moving over to this lot to be with a (small) group of friends who wanted to be closer to the actual launch field than the South Lot provides.

If you want to park near a friend, make sure to arrive with them.

This lot is just as sardined as the South lot, but is physically much closer to the launch area - less than 1/4mile walk. Which also means you're closer to breakfast burritos.

It's another gravel lot, without the option for hook-ups. You'll be very close to your neighbor. Generators will run. Dust will rise.

But, you're not here for camping. Or glamping. You're hear for balloons. And if you stay at one of the Fiesta's lots, you will get balloons.

They will fly over your head. They will tempt you to climb atop your roof with your lawn chair even if you're 55+ years old (ahem, Bob). When you're too lazy to make the 5am walk (now only 1/4 mile) to the Field, you will sit in the warmth of your rig and drink coffee as you view balloons flying overhead out your windshield.

If you're doing Fiesta, and you have a rig, book a spot at one of the official Fiesta lots. You won't have to fight 5am traffic. And you might even coax a balloon to land next to your rig.