Balloons Fill Sky At Albuquerque Festival

Hundreds of colorful hot-air balloons rose into an overcast sky Saturday to kick off Albuquerque’s 25th annual balloon fiesta, billed as the nation’s largest. A record 850 balloons and 1,200 pilots are participating in the nine-day event.

The silver anniversary was marked by 100 balloons touted as “Special Shapes” - everything from a bespectacled bear and a dairy cow to a red cottage and Noah’s ark.