Balloon Fiesta Park is getting a long-sought upgrade, city officials announced Monday.
Construction is underway on a new, permanent restroom building at the park, where the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is held each year.
According to a press release announcing the construction, park visitors have for years been wishing the park had toilets that flush. City officials are hoping the $3.2 million project will be completed before the 2025 Balloon Fiesta in October.
The park has mobile non-permanent — but flushing bathrooms — now, Balloon Fiesta Spokesperson Dan Mayfield said.
“Balloon Fiesta Park is home to our state’s most iconic event and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year,” Mayor Tim Keller said. “Now, it’s finally getting flushable toilets and modern upgrades to make visitors more comfortable and turn it into the modern, world-class facility it should be.”
The restroom project, which the city and state are jointly financing, is expected to be finished by September 2025 and will include 36 women’s stalls, 20 urinals and 12 toilets for men and four family restrooms.
The 5,029-square-foot building will also have its own heating and cooling system, according to the announcement.
“To every mom or dad that has changed a diaper on a cold morning at Fiesta, help is on the way,” city Parks and Recreation Director Dave Simon said.
The restrooms are part of a larger set of infrastructure improvements at the park; also included are upgraded lighting, a new parking area and a new public-address system.
“My administration is proud to support upgrades at Balloon Fiesta Park that enhance the experience for more than one million people who visit these facilities every year,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said. “Initiatives that boost tourism in New Mexico help local economies, and Albuquerque and surrounding areas will benefit from the substantial upgrades made at Balloon Fiesta Park.”
Balloon Fiesta executive director Julie Morgas Baca said she’s thankful for the effort Lujan Grisham and area legislators put into securing the money for the project.