Almost 50,000 visitors at the International hot air balloon festival in Château-d’Oex
Keystone-SDA
The 45th International Balloon Festival in Château-d’Oex, canton Vaud, attracted nearly 50,000 visitors. The nine-day event wrapped up on Sunday under glorious sunshine.
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Despite a few rainy days and the cancellation of the anniversary celebrations, the outcome was very positive, the organisers announced on Sunday. For five days, pilots and spectators thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
The 45th edition of the balloon festival saw more than 220 flights, totalling 300 hours of flight.
A standout moment on Saturday was the farewell to the iconic hot-air balloon ‘Piper’, shaped like a Scottish bagpiper. After travelling from England, this iconic hot-air balloon was inflated one last time at the festival site, accompanied by the sound of bagpipes. Its maiden voyage took place in Château-d’Oex in 1996. Today, it can no longer fly due to wear and tear on the seams.
Translated from German with DeepL/sp
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