Balloons fill Albuquerque sky in 2nd day of annual fiesta
Posted October 06, 2019 7:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Hundreds of balloons have filled the sky over Albuquerque in the city's annual International Balloon Fiesta.
Event officials sent up the green flag just before 6:30 a.m. Sunday, giving the all clear for the mass ascension.
Balloons were mostly tethered to the ground Saturday because of fog and that mass ascension was canceled.
But the weather was ideal Sunday and balloons of all types took off from Balloon Fiesta Park.
The fiesta draws pilots from around the world and from 41 U.S. states.
Organizers expect tens of thousands of spectators for opening weekend and exponentially more over the course of the nine-day event.
The spectacle has grown over nearly five decades and infuses millions of dollars into the economy each year.
A Zebra or launch director gives the thumbs up to a balloonist for lift-off at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
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A balloonist lifts-off at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
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Hot air balloons fly over Albuquerque, N.M., at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
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A balloon enthusiasts takes photos of the balloons as they lift-off at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, in Albuquerque, N.M. (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
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Spectators watch as hot air balloons liftoff at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
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A Zebra or launch director gives the thumbs up to a balloonist for lift-off at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
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Balloonist prepare for lift-off after being grounded by fog Saturday at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. (Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)
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Akira Otaka, foreground, a photographer from Japan who has been photographing each balloon fiesta since 1992, works at the 2019 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, Albuquerque, N.M. The spectacle has grown over nearly five decades and infuses millions of dollars into the economy each year. The fiesta is one of the most photographed events in the world, but drones are strictly prohibited. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
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Pilot Jason Kimball of Napa, Calif., inflates his balloon on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Albuquerque, N.M. The 2019 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta got off to a rocky start with heavy fog preventing balloonists from launching on the first day of the event. The spectacle has grown over nearly five decades and infuses millions of dollars into the economy each year. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
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The 2019 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta got off to a rocky start with heavy fog preventing balloonists from launching on the first day of the event, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Albuquerque, N.M. Mass ascension was canceled Saturday morning over the weather. Fiesta officials said on Twitter that balloons that had already been inflated in anticipation of taking off would remain so. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
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A balloon is inflated at the 2019 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Albuquerque, N.M. The event got off to a rocky start with heavy fog preventing balloonists from launching on the first day of the event. The spectacle has grown over nearly five decades and infuses millions of dollars into the economy each year. (Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
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