Balloons take flight with several minor mishaps on first day of Balloon Fiesta

It’s the first day of the 2026 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Officials and pilots gather at Balloon Fiesta Park to monitor the weather and prepare for the first mass climb of the year.

Here are the main Balloon Fiesta events today:

• Balloon crashes into power lines near Balloon Fiesta Park
• Jonathan Trappe launched for the first time from Balloon Fiesta Park in a cluster balloon
• Michael Glenn, piloting Joelly Bee, will fly with Cody Unser to raise awareness about disability issues and share their stories of perseverance to never let anything stop you.

Balloon crashes

Several minor balloon accidents took place on Saturday.

A balloon crashed into power lines south of Balloon Fiesta Park Saturday morning.

KOAT Tower cameras captured the incident shortly after it happened.

Action 7 News was told those in the basket were safe and the balloon was removed from the power line.

A second crash occurred near the 3700 block of Hawkins Street NE. The balloon struck a power line while making its landing. No one was hurt.

Another crash occurred near the Cinemark Century Rio Plex and the XD Theater on the Pan American Freeway NE. This balloon hit a lamp post while it was landing. There were no injuries.

The fragmentation balloon takes off

The fragmentation balloon, piloted by Jonathan Trappe, took flight shortly before the field closed for the launch in the morning.

Inflation of the balloon began a few hours after midnight Saturday morning.