They Flush! New Restrooms Coming to Balloon Fiesta Park
Permanent bathrooms will increase comfort and accessibility.
ALBUQUERQUE, Sept. 9, 2025 – Visitors to Balloon Fiesta Park will soon have an amenity they’ve wanted years for, toilets that flush! Construction on a new, permanent restroom facility is now underway at the park. The facilities will provide Fiesta-goers and park visitors with a more comfortable and efficient bathroom option, just in time for Balloon Fiesta 2025.
The $3.2 million project located near the Sid Cutter Pilots Pavilion is the next phase of infrastructure improvements at the park that also include better lighting, a new parking area, and a new public announcement system.
“Balloon Fiesta Park is home to our state’s most iconic event and welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “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.”
“To every mom or dad that has changed a diaper on a cold morning at Fiesta, help is on the way,” said Dave Simon, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department. The project is funded with a mix of State and City funds.
The bathrooms will be finished by September, 2025 and will include:
- 36 women’s stalls
- 20 urinals and 12 toilets for men
- 4 family restrooms
- Heating and cooling
- 5,029 square feet
- Color-matched to the Sid Cutter Pilots Pavilion
“My administration is proud to support upgrades at Balloon Fiesta Park that enhance the experience for more than 1 million people who visit these facilities every year. 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,” said New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The bathrooms were funded in part by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Sen. Katy Duhigg, Sen. Mimi Stewart, and Rep. Pamela Herndon.
“These new bathrooms will address a serious need we’ve had for years at the park. We want to thank the Governor and our legislators for their support to make this happen,” said Julie Morgas Baca, Executive Director of the AIBF.
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About DMD: The Department of Municipal Development builds the city. DMD crews engineer, build, and maintain Albuquerque’s roads and storm drains, as well as design and build city facilities like community centers, libraries, and community safety facilities.