Free App Keeps You Informed About Fiesta

The app features interactive maps, a complete schedule of events, news alerts and updates, a photo contest, a key grab game and more.

Apple product users can download it under the name ABQ Fiesta, while anyone with a smart phone or computer can access most of the features at abqfiesta.com.

Got a trivia question? Chances are you’ll be able to find the answer in Journal archives, which you can access through the app, or you can use the app’s forum and post a question.

And this year, the Journal is beefing up its coverage even more with additional reporters and photographers on the field for every event – blogging and sending photos, as well as news alerts.

“The app allows fiesta-goers – and balloon lovers everywhere – access to all of that information as well as real-time alerts about what’s happening on the field and in traffic,” said Journal Editor Kent Walz.

Here are some of the features:

♦ Find the Park & Ride closest to your location and the best bike route to the Fiesta. Traffic updates will be posted every 15 to 20 minutes during peak times.

♦ Fiesta-goers wondering about the balloons near them on the field can use the “field map” function on the app. The map allows the user to click on nearby launch sites to see the balloon name, the pilot, where it came from, and for special shapes, a photo.

♦ Upload photos to the app or mobile website for a photo contest. The photo with the most votes by about 4 p.m. each day will be published in the newspaper and get a prize from Kim Jew Photography. Winners will also appear in the contest winners slideshow. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite photos.

♦ A forum allows readers to weigh in on topics like their favorite place to get New Mexican food, best places to watch the balloons or coolest special shapes. They can start their own topic threads, too. And they can use the forum to check in with us with concerns or questions.

♦ Users can put themselves in the pilot seat by playing the Key Grab game. Flying a balloon shaped like a pig, players can control the balloon’s burner but not the wind gusts as they try to grab keys off poles.

♦ Other sections allow users to get answers to frequently asked questions, read stories published in the Journal’s special section, see a list of pilots and balloons, and check out deals to area attractions.
— This article appeared on page C1 of the Albuquerque Journal