Being part of Balloon Fiesta in crowd will require masks
Event organizers to adhere to CDC’s advice for ‘crowded outdoor settings’
If you’re planning to take in the colorful spectacle of this year’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, don’t forget your face mask. Balloon Fiesta organizers on Wednesday released updated COVID safety guidelines that require anyone entering the fiesta grounds to wear a mask and to keep it on in all “crowded outdoor settings,” as well as all indoor areas, said Fiesta spokesman Tom Garrity.
Masks will also be required on all Balloon Fiesta shuttles and Park and Ride buses, he said.
The Fiesta is purposely using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s wording of “crowded outdoor settings,” Garrity said, because the launch field can get pretty crowded, particularly around balloons as they inflate and launch. However, there are also portions of the large field where there is open space and people are spread out, where masks would be unnecessary.
The ever-popular special shape balloons are being spaced around the launch field to help minimize
crowding, Garrity said.
People lining up outside food and merchandise booths will also be required to wear masks. Workers inside the concession booths will also have to wear masks, and will be separated from the public by plastic shields and will offer cashless options for paying.
There will still be a pilot hospitality tent, a media tent and VIP sponsor tents. Food preparation will take place inside the tents, Garrity said, but people will have to eat outdoors.
In addition, the Fiesta will be increasing the number of handwashing and sanitizing stations around the park, and will have hand sanitizer dispensers in all portable restrooms.
Garrity said he didn’t believe that face mask requirements and other safety practices would affect attendance numbers. “Masks have been a way of life that we’ve all been experiencing for the past year or more, so I think it’s one of those things that people are used to,” he said.
“We’re always cognizant that a number of things impact people’s decisions to go out to Balloon Fiesta, including what the weather looks like. Masks, hopefully, will not be one of those deterrents.”