Balloon Fiesta’s large crowds generate significant revenue for some local businesses, with tourists flocking to shops and restaurants across the city during the nine-day event.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta fills the sky with balloons and the city with tourists, bringing a surge in revenue to some local businesses during the nine-day event each October.
Visitors from across the country, and even internationally, flock to restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops and businesses throughout Albuquerque—not just in Old Town.
Turquoise, a deep-rooted symbol of New Mexican culture, is a popular souvenir among tourists.
“I’m really low [in inventory] now because it’s at the end of it. I had a good fiesta,” Lisa Carrillo, an artisan who has worked in Old Town for over 40 years, said. “I think it’s one of the bigger attendances that they’ve [seen]. There are a lot of people in town.”
Carrillo, a jewelry vendor near Old Town Plaza, explained that the prime spots near the plaza are determined by a lottery system every two weeks.
“Because everybody wants to work during that time, it’s done by lottery. It’s not first come first serve,” she said. “It’s however the numbers come out with your permit number, so I’ve been pretty lucky this fiesta.”
Another small business owner near the plaza also agreed that the large crowds have brought good business.
“I did really well, way better than my other little pop-ups. I’m super proud and happy,” Tanya Montoya, a business owner, said.
Montoya recently transitioned her store from a pop-up stand to a brick-and-mortar just in time for the Balloon Fiesta.
The state will release numbers of the economic impact Balloon Fiesta had in the coming days.
