The village of Château-d’Oex is celebrating the 43rd annual Festival International de Ballons, which runs from January 21st to 29, 2023.

For eight days, this classic mountain resort village is transformed into the hot-air balloon capital of Switzerland, attracting balloonists and spectators from all over the world. More than 100 colorful hot-air balloons will take to the skies. The highlight is the Night Glow event, a sound and light show that includes 20 hot-air balloons, paragliders, members of the Swiss Ski School, and pyro technicians who work together in a unique Alpine performance. The town is famed as the starting point of the first successful around-the-world balloon journey, made in 1999 in the Breitling Orbiter by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones.