Despite strong wind
Launch for the balloon festival in Château-d’Oex
The international balloon festival in Château-d’Oex is back after two years of Corona-related interruption. The 43rd edition opened on Saturday in the Vaud town. Despite blue skies, most flights had to be canceled due to strong winds.
Published: 47 minutes ago
Around 60 hot air balloons and just as many pilots from 15 countries have been announced for the international balloon festival in Château-d’Oex in Vaud.
“Since you can’t steer a balloon, we are completely dependent on the weather and especially the winds,” pilot Xavier Feal told the Keystone-SDA news agency. He also expects a complicated day on Sunday. From the beginning of next week, however, the winds should play along.
Around 60 hot air balloons and just as many pilots from 15 countries have been announced by January 29th. Weather permitting, the festival can offer its usual events, such as passenger flights, demonstrations of special shapes, captive balloon flights for children or competitions between pilots.
These competitions include a speed competition, a long-distance race, and various competitions dedicated to precision, among others.
In addition to the flights, several novelties were added to the program this year, including a series of lectures entitled “Personalities at the Summit” with the Swiss balloonist Bertrand Piccard, the publisher Vera Michalski-Hoffmann and the journalist Benoît Aymon.
Also new is a collaboration with the International Alpine Film Festival of Les Diablerets (Fifad), which will give visitors the opportunity to see films that won awards at the 2022 festival.
A children’s show “Michel’s journey around the world” and an exhibition “A journey around the world in 80 hot-air balloons” are also on the programme. The nightly sound and light show “Night Glow”, on the other hand, was canceled this year for cost reasons.
The international balloon festival in Château-d’Oex is the flagship of the Pays-d’Enhaut region and attracts between 15,000 and 35,000 spectators, depending on the edition. (SDA)