My dad told me Balloon Fiesta was getting too crowded back in 2005

He said it was way better in the 80s when you could just walk up and find a spot without fighting traffic for an hour. I brushed him off until I tried to go last year and spent 45 minutes just trying to park near the field. Anyone else think the early morning chaos is getting out of hand?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_lewis3d ago

45 minutes? Rookie numbers. I showed up at 5:15 last year and spent an hour and a half creeping along I-25 before I gave up and parked at some random church lot a mile away. My dad still brags about the time in 1983 when he rolled in at 6 AM, parked right next to the field, and watched the dawn patrol from his truck bed with a thermos of coffee. Now I feel like I need to camp out overnight just to get a spot that doesn't involve a two-mile walk through the mud. Guess I'm the one who's old and grumpy now, huh?

mason8472d ago

Your dad had the golden era for sure (the good old days when you could actually breathe at a game). I tried the church lot trick last season and ended up hiking through a frozen ditch with mud up to my ankles, which was a real highlight of my evening. At this point I'm half convinced the only way to beat the traffic is to start tailgating the night before and just sleep in the car like a true degenerate.