New Mexico
Balloon Fiesta drew 851,994 guest visits in 2025
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 2025 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta drew 851,994 guest visits, inching the event back toward pre-pandemic numbers.
Attendance for the 2025 Balloon Fiesta was up from three of the last four post-pandemic editions of Balloon Fiesta (2021-22, 2024) and is not far off of the four editions before the pandemic (2016-19).
In all, there were 537 registered balloons, including 103 special shape balloons (11 new) and 90 remote control balloons. There were 651 pilots – from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- Pilots came from 41 of 50 U.S. states:
- Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Of the 14 sessions in 2025, 13 of them took place – helping to boost Balloon Fiesta to its 11th year with at least 838,000 guest visits in the last 13. The 54th Balloon Fiesta is set for Oct. 3-11, 2026.
Balloon Fiesta attendance numbers since 2011
| Year | Attendance |
| 2025 | 851,994 |
| 2024 | 838,337 |
| 2023 | 968,516 |
| 2022 | 828,800 |
| 2021 | 783,866 |
| 2019 | 866,414 |
| 2018 | 886,037 |
| 2017 | 887,970 |
| 2016 | 839,309 |
| 2015 | 955,703 |
| 2014 | 848,393 |
| 2013 | 857,000 |
| 2012 | 714,297 |
| 2011 | 737,466 |
MORE: Balloon Fiesta: 838,337 guest visits during 2024 festivities