It’s not often that you get a chance to experience an event from someone else’s point of view. But if you’re an old hat at something, a simple question from a newbie can transport you to their perspective and rekindle old sensations and emotions. This mental “reset” happened to me at an event I have attended dozens of times, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and I loved it.
Long before sunrise, on a cold, dark field, hundreds of people had started to gather to see the hot air balloons inflate and take off. Thousands of people would be there by sunrise.
My family got to the Balloon Fiesta at about 4:45 am. After we got some coffee and donuts, we headed to the enormous field. I was guiding my kid through the crowd, and a man stopped and asked me “Where are the balloons going to be?” His wife, he said, had wanted to come to the Fiesta for years, and she didn’t want to miss anything.
I chuckled and told him anywhere there’s grass, there is going to be a balloon. We kept walking west, away from the loudspeakers, and had to inch through a bunch of people who were trying to not walk on the grass. A lady saw us leave the pavement and asked if it was OK to walk on the grass. I assured her that as long as you don’t step on the balloons or ropes, you can go anywhere.
I always love the sound the crowd makes when the Dawn Patrol first lights up. It’s the most amazing mixture of gasps and “woahs,” and I would have loved to see the expression on the face of the woman who was seeing it for the first time, after wanting to experience this for so long.
No description can sufficiently explain the Balloon Fiesta. Nothing about the event is normal, from the time you have to get up, to the colors and the sounds and the cold air and the warmth of the propane burners and the throngs of people all being nice to each other.
