International balloon fiesta draws fewer visits in 2018

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Organizers of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta say an estimated 886,000 visits were logged this year and the event attracted more than 660 registered balloons from more than a dozen countries around the world.

Officials recapped the annual event Thursday, saying they had more than 1 million views on the fiesta’s live feed during the nine-day event.

As for the number of visits, this year’s total was down slightly from 2017 by 1,933 visits.

The fiesta started Oct. 6. Balloons launched successfully most mornings, except for Oct. 14 due to the weather. Evening events were cancelled three times due to unfavourable conditions.

Next year’s fiesta has been scheduled for Oct. 5-13.