Lifting gloom
Tourism funds used for Zozobra balloon, but some officials skeptical it will raise visitors to Santa Fe
Zozobra is set to soar in October at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. At 130 feet tall, this depiction will dwarf the massive 50-foot marionette. A custom “special shape” hot-air balloon depicting Old Man Gloom — also set to fly at Zozobra’s 100th birthday event — is one of more than a dozen special projects the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe will roll out as it prepares for the Aug. 30 celebration and bogeyman burning at Fort Marcy Park.
The balloon, with a price tag of $300,000, will be jointly funded by the city of Santa Fe and the city of Albuquerque, as well as the Kiwanis Club. City money for the project is coming from unanticipated lodgers tax revenue from fiscal year 2023, which must be spent on purposes related to tourism.
Zozobra event Chairman Ray Sandoval and Tourism Santa Fe Executive Director Randy Randall both said the balloon will help promote tourism at events, which could include regional balloon festivals and the October Balloon Fiesta.
Several councilors expressed skepticism at public meetings last month about whether the balloon would be an effective driver of tourism.
Still, the City Council voted 8-1 in December to approve a budget adjustment of $1.7 million for Tourism Santa Fe, including $125,000 for the Zozobra balloon.
Chris Rivera, whose final term on the council ended last month, cast the single no vote. In a later interview, he said he voted against the resolution because it was his last meeting as a councilor, and he had a number of questions he couldn’t get answered.
“Other councilors will have opportunities to see this again, but that wasn’t my situation,” he said. “With issues like that, the devil’s always in the details.”
The balloon will say, “Visit Santa Fe,” on one side and, “Visit Albuquerque,” on
the other.
The city of Albuquerque will contribute $150,000, and the Kiwanis Club the remaining $25,000.
Randall said ongoing maintenance costs, which he estimated at about $120,000 a year, will be split equally between the three entities.
Rivera and Councilor Renee Villarreal, whose term also ended in December, were both critical of the balloon proposal and pressed Randall for more details than he was able to share at the time, including where the balloon would be flown besides the Albuquerque fiesta and which entity would have ownership of it and legal liability for it.
Villarreal said she wanted the city to consider tourism partnerships with a wider range of local nonprofit groups.
In an interview, she said the balloon sounded like a great idea on paper but she worried about the ongoing expenses related to crewing and maintaining a balloon.
“We all love Zozobra, and it’s a community event, and it’s a local event,” Villarreal said. But, she asked, “does it fit the branding for tourism?”
She and Rivera also said they were unsure if having a balloon at the Albuquerque event would drive tourists to Santa Fe because so many people already visit the city as part of their Balloon Fiesta trip.
“I figure everyone that’s at Balloon Fiesta is probably taking a couple days to go to Santa Fe or Taos,” Rivera said. “If it were going to be used in surrounding states, maybe it would be a good way” to advertise the city, he added, but Randall couldn’t answer at the time if that would happen.
Earlier this month, Sandoval said he believes the balloon will be an effective tourism promoter, in part because of how widely content from the Balloon Fiesta is shared online.
He said the idea for the balloon came from a centennial committee formed two years ago to give Santa Feans who aren’t Kiwanis members the opportunity to help plan the 100th anniversary Burning of Will Shuster’s Zozobra. The group generated ideas for 18 projects that are now underway.
“This is a huge milestone, and we wanted to plan it in ways that were fun and would be meaningful,” Sandoval said of the centennial.
He and the committee initially considered just creating a teardrop-shaped balloon with ears attached, but they wanted to do something more exciting.
“Zozobra is such a cool little guy, we didn’t want to just do a regular balloon,” Sandoval said.
Having a special shape balloon advertising the city at Balloon Fiesta will be more eye-catching, he said, adding it will be especially fun for people to see the balloon displayed at the fiesta’s Special Shape Glowdeo.
Sandoval said the plan is for the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe to be the official owner and insurer of the balloon, and the city will pay a marketing fee.
“That way, the city would have no liability,” he said.
The plan is for the Zozobra balloon to have its debut the morning before the burning, and if the weather is good that day to potentially offer tethered balloon rides for kids.
After that, Sandoval anticipates the balloon could be inflated for other special events and could be flown yearly at the Balloon Fiesta and other balloon festivals in the region, such as in Durango, Colo.; Nevada; and Oklahoma.
The U.K.-based manufacturer is including a remote-controlled, 25-foot Zozobra balloon in its cost for the full-sized balloon, Sandoval said, which will be easier to fly in weather conditions that prevent the larger balloon from operating.
A final contract for the balloon’s construction and maintenance costs will be brought to the City Council for consideration at a future date.
Sandoval said he envisions the initial contract covering several years, but the balloon itself should last 10 to 15 years. If the cities feel the balloon is a good investment, the contract could be extended.
“We want to ensure that the council feels for their investment they’re going to get something that’s worth it,” he said.
Albuquerque spokeswoman Ava Montoya confirmed the city’s participation, which she said it views as a way to promote the “tourism corridor” between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
“We’re really thinking of it as one place for people to visit and get the best out of both,” she said.