This week on What’s Up Wednesday, we’re kicking off the new year with our latest Pin of the Month, a little shopping news, and a brand-new opportunity to do some pin trading.
It’s the first Wednesday of a new year and a new month, which means it’s officially Pin of the Month time. The January pin is available now and features Mr. Snowman with a flurry of snowflakes—perfect for the cold weather season, at least here in New Mexico. This marks pin number three in our year-long collection, and the response so far has been fantastic. November and December pins are still available, along with the special shadow display box designed for the full 25–26 pin set. If you’ve been collecting from the start, your display is already coming together—and we think the designs just keep getting better.
And now that many of you are officially bona fide pin collectors, we’re excited to help you grow those collections even more. This Saturday from 9:00 to noon, we’re hosting a Pin Trading Session at the Balloon Fiesta Office and Gift Shop. Bring your pins, meet fellow collectors, and do a little friendly trading. While you’re here, the Gift Shop will be open for shopping and order pickup, so you can order your January Pin of the Month now, pick it up on Saturday, and take some time to browse items you may have had your eye on. We hope this extra weekend option makes shopping a little easier for those who can’t always make it during the Monday–Friday, 9–5 window.
For those outside the Albuquerque area, this is something we plan to continue—offering Saturday morning shopping and pin trading on the Saturday following the monthly pin release. That way, you can plan a stop through town and join in the fun.
We’re also back to normal business hours, Monday through Friday from 9 to 5, with the online store always open 24/7. In fact, the online shop went live at 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Day, and just eight minutes later, we received our first order of 2026—thank you! With several days’ worth of orders placed while the office was closed, we’re working hard to catch up and expect to be fully back on track later this week.
That’s it for now. We hope to see many of you this Saturday from 9 to noon for shopping and an informal pin-trading get-together. And as always, thank you for your continued support of Balloon Fiesta and Balloon Fiesta Stuff.