Albuquerque Public Schools
Hot Air Balloons at Schools on Friday, Oct. 4
Albuquerque Aloft is the unofficial kickoff to Balloon Fiesta.
Hot air balloons will inflate and perhaps fly from the playgrounds of almost all APS elementary schools on Friday, Oct. 4, for Albuquerque Aloft, the first flying event of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Exceptions are schools where the campus can't accommodate a balloon, or there is ongoing construction.
Subject to change. Please check with your school to see if they are planning to participate.
Students, families, and staff have the opportunity to meet the pilots and crew and experience the excitement of watching and learning how a hot air balloon inflates and flies. Albuquerque Aloft, which began in 2005, is the only Balloon Fiesta flying event that launches outside Balloon Fiesta Park.
Balloons typically begin inflating between 6:45 and 7 a.m., with launch time between 7 and 7:30 a.m., weather permitting.
Albuquerque Aloft provides city residents and guests a visual preview of Balloon Fiesta, as balloons launch simultaneously from different sites around the city. KKOB AM Radio, the official voice of Balloon Fiesta, coordinates the launch.